Fashion Designer
As a fashion designer you create original designs for clothing and accessories or adapt fashions to suit local conditions and trends. You might also travel overseas to check out seasonal fashion styles.
What the job looks like
Salary expectation
starts at $34,952 up to $82,652+
The good
- Potential to travel overseas
- New season arrivals
- Using different equipment or machines to create your design
- Meeting new people
- Attending fashion shows and events
- Being creative
- Having a hands-on job
The not so good
- Paperwork and bills
- Managing cashflow
Being a fashion designer involves coming up with creative concepts, illustrating them and making them.
Good maths skills are important to take accurate measurements, order in the right amount of materials, manage appointments and take care of the budget. Most fashion designers are small business owners so you will need to keep on top of accounts, any salaries and rent. You will also need to know how much to sell your items for to ensure you make enough to cover costs and make a profit.
Fashion designers may also perform some public relation tasks like talking with media, writing press releases and taking photographs to promote products. Good English skills are needed to communicate across all these channels and you might also take care of your own website or social media feeds, so your spelling and grammar will have to be correct for your brand to look professional.
Being a fashion designer can be a fabulous life style. If you start up your own brand you can be your own boss and decide whether to work independently or with a team. There is also the potential to travel or live overseas and you could also move into interior design or costume design for films.
To be a fashion designer you will need time management skills and must be able to work under pressure. If you like being creative and meeting new people then this could be the job for you.
I love the colour, fun and flare involved in fashion. It's both stimulating and inspiring.
Pathways to this career
Subject suggestions for the HSC
Choosing your HSC subjects from this list could really help with your career. Think carefully about what you want to study after school as you might need to choose specific HSC subjects for that course and to count towards your ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank). An ATAR is your academic rank in relation to other HSC students and helps with University admission.
HSC subjects
Some subjects will count towards your ATAR, others will not. Check with your career advisor before making subject selections.
- English (Standard or higher)
- Mathematics (General 2 or higher)
- Textiles and Design
- Design and Technology
- Visual Art
What can I do after I have finished school?
University degrees
Studying one of these degrees can help with your career.
- Bachelor of Fashion Design
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Industrial Design
Alternative entry pathways
You can start a career pathway without the required ATAR by enrolling in a foundation program.
- Diploma of Fashion Design
Suggestions
Check out Vogue for more information
- Follow fashion week in your local state capital and try and go to a show otherwise keep up to date via social media
- Buy magazines for inspiration and use cut outs to create your own vision board
- Follow your fashion icons on social media feeds for inspiration
- Get some experience working with fashion - either in a clothes, shoes or jewellery retail store
- Make contacts and network with other designers
- Enter any design competitions you see in magazines, newspapers or at art galleries. Awards will look great on your resume
- Keep up with other trends such as art and even culture as often designs and entire seasons are based around a particular theme
