The fashion industry strongly depends on designers’ creativity, and they must also combine creative ideas with highly qualified skills blending art and craftsmanship to help produce clothing, footwear and accessories.
The fashion designers’ role and its requirements
Therefore, a fashion designer is a creative professional that must intercept trends through deep research of the current ones reinterpreting them to predict the new ones. A designer should be knowledgeable regarding the right choice of fabrics meaning that he/she must have technical expertise about fabric properties, about the construction of a garment through pattern development, cutting process, and, not least, its draping (drappeggio/messa in posa).
Their line of profession entails the ability to develop a conceptual theme by way of manual sketching or by using CAD software to transform concepts in reality.
It is furthermore crucial for a fashion designer to understand how to best combine aesthetic embellishments for a garment, such as, colours, trims and accessories with functionality and wearbility.
Other requirements for the profession attain the business world, this means that a fashion designer should also know about the marketing strategies and its targets to achieve a successful brand that has just the right price for potential customers.
Specialisation and tasks
Fashion designers may focus on specific areas such as sportswear, childrens’ wear, footwear or accessories. They may find employment in design houses, manufacturers or work independently; whichever the case they need to merge artistic creativity with practical functionality.
Depending on the type of company fashion designers are involved in they may be in charge of the design and development of clothing or other fashion products.
Since the fashion industry is a very competitive field the designer must also fulfill a demanding position that involves many different tasks. Hence, they must have extensive knowledge of all the various steps that lead to the finished product.
Especially in a small company a designer may have to execute the following tasks: producing a design, planning and developing ranges (gamma/linea di abbigliamento); finding, selecting and buying fabrics; developing patterns; overseeing (supervisionare) production; dealing (gestire) with customers and suppliers; managing (dirigere) marketing, finances and other business (amministrative) activities.
In larger companies with a solid economic worth a designer is essentially in charge of the design concept and all the other aspects of the fashion industry are covered by other professionals.
© L. R. Capuana
All images are generated by AI
