Fashion Internships :: What A Fashion Designer Does

When you're thinking about your fashion internship, checking out a "day-in-the-life-of" a fashion designer probably sounds pretty appealing.  Before you take the leap and commit, let us give you the skinny on what a fashion designer actually does.

Many fashion designers wear multiple hats while spending their days creating clothing and accessory designs for one specific sect of consumer - women's, men's, children's, shoes, handbags, etc…..you get the idea. Depending on who a fashion designer works for, whether it be a niche store or a large scale manufacturer, will determine how original their work gets to be.  Many large scale clothing and accessory manufacturers require less creative juice from their designers, mostly because they are trying to appeal to a mass market. Take this in to consideration when you are thinking about a fashion internship in design.  It may be easier to get an internship with a larger, mass apparel company, but you may find yourself unhappy if you are drying to show your flair for the dramatic or original.

A fashion designer must stay on top of the current trends and will spend considerable time at fashion shows and reading up on trade magazines.  Having an eye for fabric and texture is an amazing asset and will carry you far in the field of a fashion designer. You must also know how to make your design that much more appealing than your competitor.

While you're busy doing all those things, you will likely be expected to be a liason between the production, sales, and marketing departments in order to turn your vision into a wearable product. After you're sure it's coming together right, you may find yourself pulling together a luncheon or a sales meeting of some sort to show it all off.

It all sounds very glamorous, doesn't it?  But all the glamour comes with a price tag.  Expect to work long hours and groom a thick skin because the fashion industry is full of rejection and "constructive criticism."  Don't get me wrong, the world of fashion is amazing, and I encourage anyone who has the passion to persue their dreams, but I would be doing you all a disservice if I wasn't completely honest with you about the big picture.

The job of a fashion designer is a great one, and it gives you a canvas on which to show your creative flair.  Persue it with vigor, but be aware that just like the general world of fashion, "all that glitters isn't gold."