What does it take to become a clothing designer? Self-paced web design training without leaving home. Education required for a designer

Of course, the most important criterion that opens the way to the success of a future designer is his own talent, taste, and sense of style. These abilities do not appear spontaneously, they can be noticed from childhood, they are discovered by others from an early age.

In most cases, by the time a person graduates from school, he clearly determines what he is predisposed to: the humanities or exact sciences, creativity or performing routine work that requires attention.

If you draw well, have beautiful handwriting, or, for example, have done graphic design using various computer programs, creating photomontages, brochures, postcards or sketches, the path to becoming a professional designer is several steps closer.
It should also be remembered that clothing design, in addition to being creative, also has an indispensable technical component; pure humanitarianism is not enough here.
Creating fragments of patterns for parts of future clothing includes the construction of drawings - they must be clear and impeccable, like drawings of any technical detail.
In addition, the creator of models, no matter whether it is an airplane model or a model of a new branded dress, must be able to, in a matter of minutes, fresh idea didn’t leave, sketch a suitable sketch on paper.
Working as a designer requires patience and perseverance. You may have to try dozens of options before finding the optimal one. You should also be prepared for defeats; projects created are not immediately able to gain universal recognition - the path to success is long and thorny.

How to become a fashion designer - where to start

How to become a professional fashion designer

Professional activities related to design require appropriate education. You can study to become a fashion designer and clothing designer in many educational institutions, ranging from short-term courses to universities.

There are two main specialties that future fashion designers are taught: fashion designer And fashion designer . The first profession is more technical, while the second requires a more creative approach.

Institutes and universities provide a broad-based education that touches, perhaps, all aspects of the design profession. But you still need to decide whether it’s worth spending five whole years studying, especially if you don’t consider this activity as your main one. future profession.

Many people with another specialty choose as additional option designer education and enroll in the appropriate courses. This is the easiest and fastest way to get minimal experience and a document confirming your professional level of training.

How to become a famous fashion designer

The path of a fashion designer to celebrity without considerable funds, connections or the patronage of influential relatives seems unrealistic, but nevertheless it is quite feasible.

In addition to talent and diligence, the prerequisites for professional fame can be a bold and original creative solution, a discovery in the world of fashion. It is important to catch development trends design ideas in advance in order to present them to others at the appropriate moment.

In any case, a creative person has the right to try himself in such an exciting and unusual activity as fashion design.

What does it take to become a designer?

You can get the title of designer different ways: For some, it is enough to complete special courses, for others, to independently master the key skills of this fascinating profession. The second option seems even more appropriate than the first, since it implies not only a formal approach, but consistent and thorough mastery of the secrets of manipulating one’s fantasies.

Becoming a designer means learning to look for creative solutions in the most banal situations. The standard approach to issues remains for civil servants; now you are an intermediary between endless fantastic ideas and the outside world. This approach is especially noticeable when developing outfits for the fair sex, because girls are especially demanding that fashion become more and more unexpected and daring. A women's clothing designer is a person who harmoniously combines a sense of style and openness to experimentation.

How to become a designer yourself?

Possession of drawing skills, the desire to convey your feelings to the world around you, the willingness to realize a non-standard view of the world - these are the main conditions for ascending to the desired job. To achieve success, it is important to constantly improve, create sketches daily, monitor everyone fashion trends, especially the activities of domestic gurus.

You can enroll in relevant courses, where specialists will introduce beginners to the basic skills of creative work, which, like others, requires a responsible approach and hard work.

Famous Russian designers

In the field of domestic design, there are several gurus of their profession. Vyacheslav Zaitsev is one of the most famous fashion designers in Russia; he managed to receive several state awards and establish himself as a professional in the field of fashion. Valentin Yudashkin enjoys no less fame; his works are known and loved even abroad. Vladislav Aksenov equally deserves the same reviews.

The site's editors advise focusing on designers worthy of emulation.
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Let's talk about how to become a clothing designer, where to start. The profession of a designer has always been considered fashionable, and its relevance has not been lost at the present time. Specialized educational institutions that train fashion designers have real “live queues” of applicants. Not everyone understands how difficult and thorny the path from an ordinary school student to a famous fashion designer is. Let's talk about how to become a clothing designer. Some have been trying to master a profession since school, while others only develop a career at an advanced age.

Specifics of the profession

First you need to understand the content of the profession, only then can you get an idea of what it takes to become a fashion designer. What do such specialists do?

Don't know how to become a famous fashion designer, but really want to? A professional clothing designer creates and presents his sketches to the fashion world. He must take into account the latest trends in the fashion world, otherwise his products will not arouse interest and will not become in demand.

creates clothing designs;
draws up technical specifications for the design of clothing items;
uses information technology in design;
organizes the full-fledged work of performers;
exercises control over the production of clothing;
prepares applications for samples for certification;
develops patterns

What a future designer should know

If you don’t know how to become a designer from scratch, then first get acquainted with theoretical issues related to the worlds of fashion and design.

Study the history of costumes.
Learn to distinguish the main fashion trends.
Learn the basics of clothing design and styling.

The future couturier must understand all issues related to technical equipment and methods of sewing fashionable clothes.

Where can a fashion designer work?

Schoolchildren thinking about how to become a famous designer often do not think about where a representative of this specialty can work. In addition to fashion houses, a certified designer can find a job in a light industry enterprise, in an atelier (elephant), or in a textile and haberdashery (clothing) production. In addition, when thinking about how to become a designer, where to start, we note that you can always take individual orders, developing real fashion masterpieces at home. In many large cities of our country there are experimental workshops in which professional clothing designers are in demand.

Fashion designer: area of interest

The domestic labor market is represented by both designers and fashion designers. Are you wondering how to become a fashion designer, where to start? Please note that professions complement each other. If you are sure that you know how to become a designer, where to start, you can try your hand as a fashion designer. The main directions of its activities:

Technologist. Professional responsibilities include choosing a sewing method, creating simple clothing options, and finding effective options for processing seams.
Constructor. This direction involves the development of high-quality clothing drawings, fitting products to individual characteristics customer figures.
Artist. It is he who draws the finishing option, creates sketches, and the entire design of the future fashion accessory.

So what do you need to do to become a fashion designer? It is advisable to master several different skills at once, that is, to become a universal fashion designer.

What a true designer should be able to do

Representatives of this profession can be considered real “fashion geniuses”. It is they who must come up with the entire concept of new collections, develop individual sketches, offer new designs and original technologies. In addition, the designer himself thinks through the key points of the scenario for the future fashion show and takes part in advertising.

Advantages and disadvantages of the design direction

Before you think about what you need to do to become a fashion designer, weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of this profession.

Among the advantages, if all circumstances are successful, we can mention global popularity and fame. A good designer has high fees, can develop his creative potential, and develop useful connections. Representatives of this profession are in demand in the modern labor market and will not be left without their favorite job.

There are also some disadvantages that are also important to mention. The work involves heavy physical labor and often requires emergency work. There are certain limits specified by the customer, beyond which you cannot go. There is serious competition in the market; it is difficult to achieve success and popularity on your own. Beginning designers have to spend time and effort searching for potential customers. There is no guarantee that the profession will immediately generate a stable and high income.

In order to take part in a fashion show, you need to prepare 50-60 full-fledged ensembles, this requires a lot of time and effort. A professional spends 4-5 months to create one suit, so only professionals and true fans of their craft “survive” in the fashion world.

We become designers without experience or education

In reality, when thinking about how to become a designer, where to start, realize that with simple enthusiasm, without any skills, experience, or connections, you will not be able to make your dream come true. Where to take the training? So, are you looking for the answer to the question of how to become a fashion designer? In this case, take a look at design schools, fashion institutes, and art schools. Among the most popular educational institutions in the fashion world, we highlight the following: MGUDT, MSTU. A.N. Kosygina, National Commercial Institute of Fashion, Institute of Costume Design (St. Petersburg), Ivanovo Textile Academy, Moscow Industrial College.

For those who are seriously thinking about becoming a fashion designer at home, distance learning is offered at the British Higher School of Design, College of Fashion and Design.

What is important to remember to realize your dreams

First, it is important to decide on your preferences. You don’t know how to become a clothing designer, but you really want it, then look for your strengths. For example, do you like business suit, study all the nuances of its creation to gain theoretical skills. Without them, you won’t be able to come up with a new business image or surprise modern fashionistas with your designs.

Are you thinking about becoming a children's clothing designer? First of all, it is important to study all the features of child physiology. Clothes for children should not only be beautiful, but also comfortable for young fashionistas and fashionistas, any professional knows this.

Are you thinking about creating a collection of comfortable clothes for yoga? Get to know your clients, find out their preferences.

Are you thinking about how to become a fashion designer yourself without wasting time on training? Subscribe to several popular fashion magazines, study the biographies of world fashion designers, and carefully follow everyone fashion trends. It is important to develop your artistic taste, find a sense of proportion, and feel inner harmony.

If you've decided to develop your technical skills, develop three-dimensional thinking, want to learn how to combine different colors and textures, and are thinking about how to become a fashion designer, you can enroll in design courses.

In addition to courses, try to put the acquired knowledge into practice. For example, having looked into the nearest fashion boutique, analyze its assortment, select an ensemble of clothes for different occasions. Using ready-made options, try to create your own ensembles, in which you will include your own ideas and “zest”. A true design professional must be fluent in any sewing machines, sew by hand, embroider.

The most difficult thing is creating high-quality patterns and sketches. Try to devote as much free time as possible to developing this skill, otherwise you will not be able to make a full-fledged pattern. Do not forget that the materials market is constantly being modernized, new fabrics with certain characteristics are appearing.

Looking for our own style

By collecting a variety of information about popular designers, borrow from them the most interesting ideas and suggestions. Follow all fashion trends, consult with experienced mentors who have practical experience of “surviving” in the fashion world. Try to find your own style by which clients will recognize you. It is individuality that is primarily valued in the world of fashion and beauty.

Creating a portfolio

Take care of developing your own complete portfolio. These days, this detail is a vital necessity. Without demonstrating your achievements, it is difficult to prove to a potential employer that you are a true professional in your field. In addition to a paper portfolio with certificates and diplomas, it is advisable to acquire photographs from fashion shows with your participation. You can supplement your portfolio with video reports, clippings from newspapers and magazines. Professional designers have their own logos to help clients recognize their work. You, too, can think about developing such an “insignia” for your collections, and to protect it from attacks by competitors, carry out its official registration with Rospatent.

Learn to do business

You need to learn how to make money, create not only beautiful, but also popular things. You need to study the basics of modern marketing and look for opportunities to sell your models. For example, you can organize exhibitions of finished models in cinemas, shops, and exhibitions. Don't stop there achieved result, you will have to start as an apprentice to gain professional skills. A designer who wears his own clothes inspires confidence in his clients.

Conclusion

If you don't know how to become a fashion designer, but really want it, you will succeed. Believe in yourself, in your strengths, try to be in nature as much as possible to get new ideas for creativity. The main criterion that opens the path to success for a future designer is his personal talent, sense of style and taste. Such abilities do not arise spontaneously; they appear already in early childhood. In many cases, before graduating from school, a young man understands that his destiny is to create unique clothing collections.

If you are good at drawing, have beautiful handwriting, are proficient in graphic design, and love photomontage, then this direction as design is suitable for you. Don't forget that in addition to the creative component, fashion design also requires technical skills. To create full-fledged patterns for future products, you need to be able to create impeccable drawings.

The creator of dresses and suits must “throw” his ideas onto paper in a matter of minutes, getting beautiful sketches. Designer is a profession that requires a certain perseverance. Sometimes it takes 5-6 months from the moment the idea appears to the receipt of the finished product. You need to be prepared not only for high fees and victories in competitions, but also for defeats and disappointments. Not all invented projects have a happy future, because the path to real success is thorny and long. Have you made a choice in favor of becoming a designer? In this case, decide on your specialty: fashion designer-designer or fashion designer-cutter. The specialization "designer" will require creative ideas, and for a "cutter" it is first of all important to have a good technical base. Higher educational institutions offer comprehensive training, graduating from their walls real universal specialists. In addition to such prerequisites as talent and diligence, punctuality and tolerance are important. Answering the question about how to become a clothing designer from scratch, let us remind you that it is important to be a good psychologist and help your clients find their own style.

Hundreds of people every year ask the question: “I want to become a fashion designer, what’s next and where to start?” We will help you deal with this seemingly difficult task.

Fashion designer is the most desired profession for fashion lovers of all times. It cannot be called easy; there are many obstacles and problems on the path of such professionals: high competition, creative burnout, technological development and rapid changes in trends. Each legendary designer has his own story; some began creating in childhood, while others entered the profession at an advanced age.

The main criteria that open the way to success in fashion design are education, talent, taste and sense of style. If you feel like this is a career made just for you and want to challenge the fickle and capricious fashion industry, read our guide for aspiring designers.

Required qualities to work in fashion design

Before starting your studies and finally choosing fashion design as your own profession, you need to make sure that you have the following qualities:

you draw well, know how to draw, or have an inclination to do so;
your mind is developed, both in creative and logical directions;
love fashion and understand trends;
patient, assiduous, persistent, not afraid of difficulties, failures and problems.

Where to begin?

Are you sure that the fashion industry and fashion design are your calling? Start developing in this direction. Decide on your preferences. You like women's clothing or men's, do you want to design collections or manage a fashion house, maybe your plans include launching your own brand?

Even before starting training at a fashion design school and choosing a program:

follow the fashion industry and trends, read news, blogs, magazines, study success stories of fashion designers;
learn to be inspired by art, fashion, people, architecture, nature, travel;
develop artistic taste;
learn to create patterns, sew on a machine and come up with models on your own;
develop drawing skills, three-dimensional thinking, harmonious combination of colors;
study the history of fashion;
visit fashion shows, boutiques of legendary brands, exhibitions, specialized events and factories.

This way you will get a general idea of fashion, be able to understand what you like best and select the optimal clothing design program. – one of the recognized leaders in fashion education – offers a wide range of courses for students with any level of training and professional needs :

Bachelor's degree, or
Master's degree in, or
(advanced level)

What to do during and after studying at fashion design school?

During your training, take advantage of every opportunity to gain more practice, prove yourself with the best side and gain professional contacts. In the future, this will help you find an internship or your first job, and your network of contacts will become the basis for doing business, for example, graduates of the institute can become your partners, employers or clients.

During and after training:

Don’t miss the chance to learn from experienced designers, attend all master classes, lectures and workshops, give 100% during joint projects with brands;
look for individual style: Study the work of designers, find attractive details, get inspired. Your goal is an original and recognizable style;
create a professional portfolio. This should include the best work you did before, during and after your training. It's yours business card. Add ideas, sketches, fabrics, photos of finished products. More details in;
look for internships and jobs. No one says that it will be easy, but the diploma or status of a Marangoni student speaks for itself; fashion companies willingly accept such candidates for attractive and promising positions. In any case, do not hesitate to take the position of an assistant, this way you will gain invaluable experience and be able to learn from the masters of their craft.
do you create clothes? Wear it, promote the style, create a website, groups in in social networks, make publications, initiate collaborations with other designers and stylists, any mention in the media is valuable to you;
take part in all kinds of international and Russian competitions, this way you will expand your portfolio and gain recognition; often at such competitions the winner receives a scholarship to continue his studies at Istituto Marangoni;
don't be afraid to be creative!

The founder and art director of the Arsenicum brand is Dmitry Loginov: “First, analyze all the pros and cons of the specialty, prospects and upcoming problems. If you are willing to take risks and want to fight, be patient and be prepared to work hard. High-quality education is an important component of success, but you should not place all your hopes solely on the name of the institute, this is a launching pad, development depends only on you!”

Designer and founder of the Katia Mossina brand - Katya Mikulskaya-Mosina: “I am sure that in a highly competitive fashion industry, it is necessary to choose your own niche. The main task is to understand the trends of the times. Read literature about social psychology, study social surveys, follow politics - this shapes people’s desires and dreams. The profession of a fashion designer requires talent, but without training it is only a diamond. Make sure you get a good education in the fashion world and get an internship. Don’t neglect studying abroad, it will give you invaluable experience.”

This story, personal experience and at the same time, excellent instructions from Karen Cheng for all those who want to master the profession of a designer without having the opportunity or desire to study at the university.

Karen Cheng

Girls of Chinese appearance, who became widely known after a video on Youtube, where she demonstrated the results of a personal experiment " How to learn to dance in 365 days ».

Today, Karen Cheng works as a designer at Exec. Before that, she worked at Microsoft, in particular on MC Office products, and took part in the work on the Evernote application as an interface designer.

In her blog, the self-taught designer shared her thoughts on how to master new profession from scratch to professional level, find a job. The result was nothing more than a step-by-step clear action plan of 5 steps. So…

5 steps to become a professional designer

Step 1. Learn to see

Graphic editors are just a tool. Knowledge of Photoshop is good, of course, but don’t rush. Knowing how to type on a computer and knowing MS World will not make you a writer. It's the same with design: you may know how to use every tool in Photoshop, but you won't be able to use them to create anything. You need to start with the basics.

Basics of drawing

No, since we are talking about learning that bypasses formal education, you will not need to complete art school, learn academic drawing by looking at a naked aunt model (which, I must admit, is not bad either).

All you need is to master the basics of drawing at the most basic level. Karen Cheng recommends buying the book “How to Learn to Draw in 30 Days” by Mark Kistler, reading it and practicing it daily. It will take a month to do everything about everything. However, they will cope with the task no worse. copies: Betty Edwards "Discover the Artist in You" or "The Art of Drawing" by Bert Dodson.

Graphic Design Basics

Read Molly Bang's book, Picture This: How Pictures Work, which, based on the adventures of Little Red Riding Hood and the Bad Wolf, will tell you everything a beginner needs to know about graphic design. The book was not published in Russian. If this is a problem for you, you can find a replacement on Ozone.

Experience of interaction

User eXperience, or UX in a nutshell, is an essential area of knowledge for any designer to understand. Finding specialized UX courses is not easy. You can collect bits and pieces of information online. But it's best to turn to the old ones true friends- books. Donald Norman's "The Design of Common Things" and "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug are examples that have become classics. A must read!

Learn to write

Karen Cheng claims that it is not enough to be able to draw, you need to learn to write, and it’s hard to disagree with this. No, this is not about calligraphic handwriting, although this is not bad, it is about the ability to express one’s thoughts and communication skills. Another book, and again it’s not in Russian - “Made to Stick” by Chip Hez.

Step 2. Graphic editors

Since we are aiming to be designers, we should know about the existence of vector and raster graphics. It would be nice to be able to handle both the first and the second. As for programs, everything is clear with raster - this is where you will have to get acquainted with Photoshop. As for the vector, there are only two options: Adobe Illustrator (Karen Cheng recommends it), the second option is Corel Draw. However, having mastered the basics of working with vector graphics in one of the programs, learning another will not be a problem. So:

Mastering Illustrator

There is absolutely no need to take offline courses to master the programs. A decent option is to purchase a manual, something like the Adobe Illustrator User's Bible. After studying 400-600 pages, you will know everything. At least as far as tools are concerned. Next, we gain real experience through numerous free lessons, including video lessons.

Becoming a Photoshop master

With Adobe Photoshop training, things are even better: there are millions of lessons for every color and taste (and this figure is about lessons in Russian, in English language there are even more of them). And this a good option to master the program. However, if your goal is maximum results in the shortest possible time, it makes sense to gain comprehensive knowledge in a comprehensive manner; undoubtedly, the best video course on Photoshop will help with this.

Step 3. Decide on your specialization

A designer is not a person who can do everything related to graphics. A generalist is not as good as it might seem. Of course, for overall development it is necessary to have a minimum understanding in each of the areas - only for the benefit. However, by focusing on one specific narrow segment and becoming the best specialist in it, you can achieve great results. Dig into everything, but decide what interests you most and get better at it.

Logo creation and corporate identity

You can limit yourself to only the first. The activity is not difficult, but it requires experience. Logo design is a great choice. With the proper approach, knowledge and experience, it can bring considerable dividends in the form of financial rewards when minimum costs time. (picture about a logo designer who drew it in 10 minutes). Perhaps the best thing you can read on this topic is David Airey’s book “Logo and Corporate Identity. Designer's Guide."

Application interface design

Read Tapworthy: Designing Great iPhone Apps by Josh Clark, a short but comprehensive book on how to design beautiful, user-friendly iPhone apps. Karen Cheng recommends going through the apps on your smartphone to see what it should look like. good design, but there is no need to do it. At the same time, you can joke around on the Internet looking for lessons in Russian.

Web design

The book “Don’t Make Me Think” has already been mentioned above, and this is a truly worthwhile work, one that any designer, web designer should read - just what the doctor ordered.

Read the book “Web Design. Developer's Guide » Jason Bird - you'll learn how to make your website look good.

Learn from other sites. Repeat the design of the site you like in a graphic editor, then do the same with a dozen other sites. You need experience and practice, this way you can get both.

If you want to design websites, you don't need to understand either HTML or CSS. Of course, this knowledge will not be superfluous. Definitely, if you plan to do layout, but think about whether it’s worth spreading yourself thin or whether it’s better to concentrate on a narrower segment.

Step 4. Create a portfolio

Today, not many people are interested in whether you have an education. The customer (employer) cares about the result; what matters is what you actually know how to do. The last thing is best told by a portfolio.

It doesn’t matter if you haven’t had any real customers yet. Learn, practice, do something, create, you can take part in competitions - this is a great chance to improve your skills in real conditions. Ultimately, you will have material that you can safely show potential clients. Place only your best work in your portfolio.

If you find yourself on a website with a disgusting design, set yourself the goal of redoing it. For yourself - first of all, but if you do well, you can offer the design to the site owner.

Participate in gatherings of aspiring “start-ups” as a designer. You can try your hand at the 99design website. And yes, steal! This natural stage development of skills in any creative profession. You will learn to create something of your own, unique, but that will come later, for now, steal.

Find inspiration here: dribbble.com. pttrns.com will help with app design, and patterntap.com will help with web design.

Step 5: Get a job

It doesn’t matter whether you plan to go all out freelancing, or look for official off-line work, it will be useful for you to work in a large company, in particular, specializing in design.

Do you want to build a career? This will be your first step. Are you planning to work remotely or directly with clients? as soon as possible Gain experience and improve your skills.

Whatever it is, don't stop learning. Your level as a specialist, your level of earnings directly depends on what you know and what you can do. Attend courses, read books, look for new information, develop yourself!