What It Takes To Be A Fashion Designer

by James Mitchell

Let's get one thing straight - to be a fashion designer you'll need to possess a formidable range of skills and personal qualities. Be honest with yourself, evaluate the extent to which you possess these skills and qualities otherwise you'll eventually run into obstacles in your attempts to be a fashion designer.

First and foremost you need talent. This encompasses a wide range of skills including drawing, sewing, research, vision and creativity. Without a high level of natural talent you can never be a fashion designer.

The fashion industry is tough and competitive - you need to be prepared to use your abilities to give yourself an edge over your rivals. This only comes through having the confidence to truly believe in what you're doing and the assertiveness to deliver.

Without a high level of ambition and the necessary commitment to achieve that ambition you may struggle. You have to be prepared to work hard yet remain open to learning. Displaying high levels of flexibility and using criticism from others in a positive way will allow you to adapt in what is an ever-changing environment.

Effective communication skills are a must. If you can't explain, listen, negotiate or delegate you'll struggle. Likewise organisational skills - if you can't plan and co-ordinate you simply won't finish jobs on time. Part of this comes from being able to make quick decisions and accepting responsibility for those decisions.

If you want to be a fashion designer then you need to accept the fact that you'll also be running a business. That means being able to spot opportunities as well as carrying out the more mundane tasks that are part and parcel of running a business. You'll need to be able to show leadership and be prepared to take a few risks if you want to achieve real success.

On a more artistic level you'll need to be imaginative and creative to generate new ideas. Without a genuine ability to visualize, draw and paint in two dimensions you won't be able to deliver innovation which is the energizing force of fashion design. The same can be said for color sense and the many practical skills that go into making a fashion designer.

To be a fashion designer means being prepared to work as part of a team. You'll need to enjoy group activities and recognize you're only part of a bigger picture that draws from the input of many players. This calls for a friendly, calm temperament, patience, humour and at times a little bit of humility.

The one personal quality that pulls all of this together is having a real passion for fashion - without this the other skills and personal qualities become undermined and you'll find it difficult to be a fashion designer.

If you feel you possess these qualities then don't give up until you cover all the steps you need to take to become a fashion designer.

James Mitchell owns and operates http://www.fashiondesignerbasics.com Fashion Designer

Keywords: article, Articles, bridal clothing, designer clothes, designer handbag, Designer Shoes, fashion clothing, maternity clothing, Weblog, Weblogs, Womens Lingerie

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Fashion Clothings Products information... visit our site at http://www.fashion-clothings.com/.

The Return Of London Fashion Week

by Tania Machowska

Provisional dates for London's fashion week are 16-23 September 2007. Fashion weeks tend to be held several months before the season, which gives press and buyers a chance to preview designs in advance. The last London Fashion Week was a huge success, bringing more than £100 million worth of business to London. Expectation is high for the next event, which many hope will be just as successful.

What We Can Expect

It's the first fashion week since top stylist Isabella Blow died in May. As Blow kick-started the careers of both Philip Treacy and Alexander McQueen, we're expecting to see many tributes. Models such as Lily Cole, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Agyness Deyne are being lined up to sashay down the catwalk in the latest designs.

The last London Fashion Week in February 2007 was a huge success with £40 million worth of orders and a huge £24 million of media coverage. Following London Fashion Week will be London Fashion Weekend, which takes place at the Natural History Museum and offers visitors the opportunity to purchase designer clothes at sales prices.

Next Season Predictions

We're eagerly anticipating next season's trends. Will next summer prove to be the season for you to dust off your capri pants? Who knows!

The Designers

Luella Bartley will show her Spring/Summer 2008 collection at fashion week, which also coincides with the launch of her new flagship store in Mayfair. It’s unclear whether Vivienne Westwood is showing this year but if she does, we never fail to be impressed by the grand dame of fashion.

It was Marc Jacobs in February but who will be the talk of Fashion Week in September? Fashion week favourite Hussein Chalayan should be returning with a collection that promises a blend of simplicity and volume. There are also rumours that John Galliano is returning to London with another one of his spectacularly outlandish collections. Inspired by the French Revolution, one of his last shows featured a realistic-looking guillotine and so we’re can’t wait to see what he’ll do this time. Hot young designer Henry Holland is also one to look out for. His cheeky House of Holland label is guaranteed to raise a smile with bitchy slogan t-shirts and androgynous styling. Needless to say, we're expecting Julien McDonald to dazzle us with a glamourous Givenchy show.

The Fashion Industry and Model’s Health

Since the death of catwalk models Luisel Ramos and Ana Carolina Reston, fashion bosses have been under increasing pressure to ban size zero models. However, it's unclear whether they plan to do this at fashion week. However, the organisers of Madrid Fashion Week 2006 banned models with a Body Mass Index below 18 and pressure is mounting on London Fashion Week bosses to do the same.

The Independent Model Health Inquiry has also found it 'profoundly inappropriate' that young girls should be portrayed as adult women on the catwalk and have called for them to be banned from fashion week. However, it is unclear whether they will be. Lily Cole, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell all modelled before their sixteenth birthday but should they have been allowed to?

Discover More about Fashion Week

If you’re eager for more news and gossip, stay tuned. We'll be at the shows in September, bringing you the hottest looks straight from the catwalk.

Tania Machowska is a former model with experience of catwalk and catalogue modelling. For the past four years she's been contributing to websites such as http://www.chemodels.com, Brussels Model Agency.

Keywords: article, Articles, bridal clothing, designer clothes, designer handbag, Designer Shoes, fashion clothing, maternity clothing, Weblog, Weblogs, Womens Lingerie

For more News, Articles, Guides, Tips, Tricks and various Fashion Clothings Products information... visit our site at http://www.fashion-clothings.com/.