How to Become the Assistant to a Fashion Designer

Fashion assistants cut patterns and sew clothing to aid in a designer's creative vision.

With star fashion designers chewing up the scenery on documentaries and reality television, it's understandable to want to break into this fast-paced, dynamic industry. But jobs in the fashion industry are in high demand, and getting to be the assistant to a full-fledged designer is rarely a case of simply submitting an application. However, for budding clothing designers, you can do a few things to increase your chances of helping a fashion designer create the next hot look.

Instructions

1. Take some courses in fashion design. While you don't necessarily need a degree to break into the fashion business, especially as an assistant to a designer, getting some education in the field is advisable, even if you take part-time community college courses. Fashion designer assistants help designers create prototypes for new items, trace patterns, actually sew items of clothing and meet with a designer's clients. Learning these skills, either through past work experience, formal education or self-education can help you get a leg up when it comes to netting a fashion design assistant job.

2. Follow fashion trends and news. To supplement your education, keep abreast of developments in the industry. Your knowledge of the field will be instrumental when it comes time to prove to a fashion designer that you can make it as her assistant.

3. Draw designs and keep a portfolio. This step is essential; even if you aren't making or selling your own designs, draw them up nonetheless. A portfolio of your work, even if it's personal, is preferable to having no visual demonstrations of your ability.

4. Take any job you can get in a design company. There are a lot of entrants into the fashion design market and jobs design jobs are limited. Taking an internship or an administrative job at a design house can increase your chances of becoming an assistant to a designer.

5. Learn your product line or specialty. Fashion designers specialize in different types of clothes, and their assistants do too. If there's a designer you have your eye on as a boss, learn his clothing niche and network with others in that niche to broaden your knowledge.

References

• CTI Career Search: How to Become a Fashion Designer
• Becomeopedia: How to Become a Fashion Designer
• Next Step: Fashion Design Assistant