OKcollegestart - Career Profile

Fashion Designer

Designs clothing and accessories. Creates original designs or adapts fashion trends.

Directs and coordinates workers involved in drawing and cutting patterns and constructing samples or finished garments.
Examines sample garments on and off models, modifying designs to achieve desired effects.
Sketches rough and detailed drawings of apparel or accessories, and writes specifications such as color schemes, construction, material types, and accessory requirements.
Confers with sales and management executives or with clients to discuss design ideas.
Identifies target markets for designs, looking at factors such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status.
Attends fashion shows and reviews garment magazines and manuals to gather information about fashion trends and consumer preferences.
Selects materials and production techniques to be used for products.
Provides sample garments to agents and sales representatives, and arranges for showings of sample garments at sales meetings or fashion shows.
Adapts other designers' ideas for the mass market.
Purchases new or used clothing and accessory items as needed to complete designs.

You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
Work in this occupation involves sitting more than one-third of the time

Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
Seeing clearly at a distance
Seeing clearly up close
Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
Identifying and understanding the speech of another person