OFO No: 216301

Other names for Fashion Designer:

• Do you live and breathe fashion?
• Do you always look at what other people are wearing?
• Do you find yourself flipping through fashion magazines and tabloids drooling over or criticising what celebrities are wearing? Do you spend your free time dreaming up new ‘looks’ and sketching out fashion ideas?
• Do you parade in front of the mirror trying to put together ‘new’ outfits for yourself?

If this is your life, a career in Fashion Design may just be the career for you!

Fashion Designers (Clothing Designers) can design a single outfit or a whole clothing range. This will include both the look and what type of fabrics will be used.

Some Fashion Designers may specialise in a particular area, such as formal wear, men’s wear, sportswear, weddings or just accessories (eg hats, handbags and shoes).

Most Fashion Designers will work for clothing manufacturers that produce the clothes we find in chain stores and boutiques. Their designs have to be more mainstream so that the conservative public will be willing to buy them.

Haute couture, however, shows off the Fashion Designer’s creative talent and how they see the future of fashion for the next season.  Here the designer can free their mind and be as creative and out-the-box as they want.  These pieces are usually modelled and displayed at fashion shows around the world.  From this platform, the Fashion Designer can become very famous – and then other famous people will want to wear their designs, for example: In South Africa – David Tlale, Marianne Fassler and Errol Arendz and internationally, Stella McCartney, Versace and Prada etc.

What does a Fashion Designer do?

• keeps up-to-date with latest trends around the world
• researches, reads mags, visits stores, travelsand observes international lifestyles
• makes sketches and drapes dummies
• draws up patterns, measures, cuts and sews
• sources fabrics, textures and embellishments like lace, beads, buttons etc
• prepares samples
• constantly checks quality
• prepares ranges for fashion shows
• works within budgets

Are you . . . ?

• passionate about fashion?
• extremely creative, with a vivid imagination?
• a good sketcher?
• original?
• able to meet deadlines?
• able to read, write and do mathematics?
• a person with a good sense of colour?
• a person with style?
• able to work well under pressure?
• ambitious?
• a person with good business sense?
• detail orientated?
• able to work with difficult clients?

How do I become a Fashion Designer?

Firstly – you MUST have a passion for fashion and be creative. You will have to to come up with your own completely original ideas. If you think you can do that, then Fashion Design / Clothing Design might be the career choice for you!

There are many places you can study fashion or clothing design:

• Some TVET (FET) Colleges
• Some Universities of Technology offer 3 year courses
  
• Some public institutions
  
• Private Specialised (fashion design) Institutions/Schools
  

PATH 1

Diploma in Fashion Design or Clothing Management

• Cape Peninsula University of Technology
• Durban University of Technology
• Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
• Tshwane University of Technology
• University of Johannesburg
• Vaal University of Technology
• Walter Sisulu University

PATH 2

Bachelor of Technology in Fashion Design or Clothing Management

• Cape Peninsula University of Technology
• Durban University of Technology
• Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
• Tshwane University of Technology
• University of Johannesburg
• Vaal University of Technology

PATH 3

Bachelor of Fashion Design

TRAINING:

• CLICK HERE to check for a training institution near you to see what they offer.
• Make sure you understand their entry requirements for each course.
• To avoid scams, make sure your institution is registered with the Department of Higher Education. 
• CLICK HERE to check accredited Private Higher Education Institutions. 

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Display Artist … or … Graphic Designer

Is becoming an Fashion Designer the right career choice for me?

OFO No:

What is a Costume Designer?

Costume Designers create the look and fashion for characters in film or stage productions.

Every item an actor wears has been thoroughly planned by the Costume Designer and may have even been sewn/created by the designer’s own hands.

The art of Costume Design is to create a wardrobe for the actors that realistically represents each character’s personality and role.

Additionally, if the production is set in a certain time period, the Costume Designer must create garments that are historically correct to that time period.

As key members of the production team, Costume Designers must creatively collaborate with directors, technicians, and hair and make-up artists.

What does a Costume Designer do?

• reads scripts
• collaborates with the production team for design concepts
• researches historical periods, if necessary
• creates a ‘ costume plot’ – the breakdown of every item of article worn by each character, including the extras (non-speaking characters) in each scene
• gets approval from design and production team
• draws full colour sketches of the costumes
• prepares a budget
• chooses and purchases fabrics and materials for sewing garments
• purchasing already manufactured garments to be worn
• attends fittings and dress rehearsals

Are you … ?

• an excellent sewer?
• interested in plays or film?
• artistic, creative, imaginative?
• patient?
• highly organized?
• able to work well with others?
• confident?
• someone with good research skills?

How do I become a Costume Designer?

Most Costume Designers have a background in fashion design. See job description below for training.

• THE DESIGN SCHOOL SOUTHERN AFRICA

Offers a 3 year Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design

• INSCAPE DESIGN SCHOOL

Offers a 3 year Bachelor of Design

• UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG

National Diploma: Clothing Management
National Diploma: Fashion Design
BTech Degree: Clothing Management
BTech Degree: Fashion Design
MTech Degree: Clothing Management
MTech Degree: Fashion Design

TRAINING:

• CLICK HERE to check for a training institution near you to see what they offer.
• Make sure you understand their entry requirements for each course.
• To avoid scams, make sure your institution is registered with the Department of Higher Education. 
• CLICK HERE to check accredited Private Higher Education Institutions. 

Youtube example of costume designing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FfvX8LP5MY

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Fashion Designer … or … Textile Designer

Is becoming a Costume Designer the right career choice for me?

OFO No: 216602

Other names for Illustrator:

• Animator
• Technical Illustrator

What is a Fashion Illustrator?

• Are you artistic? 
• Can you draw? 
• Are you passionate about fashion? 
• If you combine these two loves – a career as a Fashion Illustrator may suit you.

Fashion Illustration is the communication of fashion, or designs for fashion – through illustration, drawing, painting and other artistic techniques.

 A Fashion Illustrator is similar to a graphic designer.  They use various artistic methods to create graphics, patterns, textures, images etc which can be either printed on clothing items or used in fashion, newspaper, website articles as a form of illustration.

A Fashion Illustrator has an in depth understanding of the fashion industry and keeps up to date with new trends.
Sometimes a fashion designer’s and a Fashion IIlustrator’s jobs can overlap.

What does a Fashion Illustrator do?

• discusses brief with client and or fashion editor and understands what is required
• creates sketches by hand and/or uses a computer
• selects colours and styles for the project
• constantly researches and keeps up to date with current fashion trends
• constantly hones their artistic skills and masters new ones
• presents ideas to creative directors
• makes changes or re-does illustration when necessary

Are you … ?

• extremely creative?
• interested in fashion?
• detail orientated?
• able to produce original work?
• a person who will experiment with different techniques?
• able to handle criticism?
• able to meet deadlines?
• self-motivated?
• a hard worker?
• stylish?
• a person who’s adventurous with colour?
• computer literate – can you design on a computer?

How do I become a Fashion Illustrator?

Besides having a bucket-load of artistic talent and a passion for fashion – it is advisable to have studied graphic design as many employers prefer to hire Fashion Illustrators who have had some formal training. 

This, therefore, will help you jump ahead of the rest in this very competitive career.

PATH 1

Training on the job

PATH 2

Diploma in Fine Art

• Rhodes University 
• University of Fort Hare

Bachelor of Technology in Fine Art

Master of Technology in Fine Art

• Central University of Technology
• Duran University of Technology
• Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
• Tshwane University of Technology
• University of Johannesburg
• Vaal University of Technology

PATH 3

• Bachelor of Visual Art
• Postgraduate Diploma in Art

PATH 4

• Bachelor of Visual Art
• Honours in Fine Art

PATH 5

Bachelor of Graphic (visual) Design

• North West University
• University of Stellenbosch

Master of Fine & Visual Art

• North West University
• Rhodes University
• UCT
• University of Fort Hare
• University of KZN
• University of Pretoria
• UNISA
• University of Stellenbosch
• University of the Free State
• University of Witwatersrand

PATH 6

Qualify as Graphic Designer

TRAINING:

• CLICK HERE to check for a training institution near you to see what they offer.
• Make sure you understand their entry requirements for each course.
• To avoid scams, make sure your institution is registered with the Department of Higher Education. 
• CLICK HERE to check accredited Private Higher Education Institutions. 

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Make-up Artist … or … Fashion Stylist

Is becoming a Fashion Illustrator the right career choice for me?