Ask Fashion Girl

Dear A Fashion Designer in the Making,

It's great that you have so much ambition! It sounds like you have decided on fashion design as a career, and indeed the sooner you set your career goals, the sooner you will accomplish them. Karl Lagerfeld knew at age 14 that he wanted to become a fashion designer and never lost sight of his goal. Bouncing your design ideas off of friends is a good start for receiving honest feedback. Right now you have an insight into fashion that most designers dont- in school, hanging out with friends, you can get a sense of what teenagers are wearing and keep up with evolving trends.To get your designs noticed, get them out there! Whenever you can, wear your own designs out. Create some cool business cards to give out to anyone who expresses interest in your work. Do you have a web page? If not, create one. A web page featuring photos of your designs can serve as your online portfolio.A good design education is vital for conquering the fundamentals of fashion design: sketching, illustration, pattern drafting, fabrics, colors, and draping. In college you will make friends and establish contacts who will prove invaluable when you begin your fashion design career. Look for scholarships being offered for fashion design. You will not only get your designs noticed, but also have a chance to win tuition.Successful fashion designers each have their own story of how they came across their big break. Diane Von Furstenberg cut out patterns on her dining room table, then took the finished clothing and started showing her designs to buyers at clothing stores. Her designs took off! Cynthia Rowley sold her first eight-piece collection, a senior design project, while in design school and kept going from there. Most fashion designers attend a design college and start out in the industry as tailors or assistant designers for known design houses. Once they have established their own style and name in the industry and among clients, they go out on their own. There is one constant theme in their lives. No matter what, they never stop designing. Like any art, fashion design requires creative vigilance! So keep designing and don't lose sight of your goals. When that big break comes, you will be ready for it!