Fashion Design Review

Many fashion designers specialize in a certain type of clothing or accessory like men’s or women’s wear, children’s apparel, swimwear, lingerie, handbags, or shoes. Most fashion houses offer a range of positions from entry-level to working alongside top designers. Moves up tend to be fairly rapid,and employees don’t usually work at any one task for more than a couple of years.

• Head designers or design directors are responsible for executive and creative functions. They supervise design-room staff, and most have several assistants.
• Assistant designers are all-around assistants to designers. They make first patterns and samples, supervise sample makers, assemble presentation boards, gather fabric swatches, maintain libraries, and assist with a variety of technical and creative problems.
• Specialty designers work with other designers to coordinate special lines of clothing, such as sweaters.
• Theatrical costume designers create designs for film, stage, and TV.
• Trend researchers help designers identify new trends by doing market research and studies and talking with potential buyers.
• Artists and sketchers draw designs.
• Spec and Fit Technicians work on creating final production samples of the correct size and fit.
• Patternmakers work with designers to create the patterns that will be used to manufacture clothes.
• Pattern graders adjust pattern pieces to allow for changes from small to larger sizes.