What it’s about:

This major prepares you for a career as a designer of commercial fashions, clothing, and accessories. You are trained in all aspects of fashion design, including sketching, creative design, computer applications, draping, and flat pattern drafting. You also learn how to communicate design ideas through storyboards and fashion shows, and how to work effectively in a diversified, global industry.

What the study of this major is like:

The fashion and apparel design major is generally hands-on, immersing you in a working environment from day one. From sketching to pattern making, you explore the many areas of design, under the instruction of industry professionals.

In your lower-level courses, you are introduced to figure-sketching techniques and to pattern drafting. In later courses, you explore such topics as color and design theory; textiles; and industry practices, including fashion groups, storyboards, and the development of collections. In computer-aided design (CAD) work, you learn how to design garments and construct patterns using techniques that are wide-spread throughout the industry. Most programs require a capstone course in which you develop a complete collection. This is the final course you take, and it prepares you to begin interviewing for jobs. You should leave the program with a comprehensive portfolio and real-world experience.

Expect to work hard; majors sometimes have to pull all-nighters to complete their projects. Fashion and apparel design is a highly technical industry that requires attention to detail and patience. Measurements must be exact, sketches must be proportional, and patterns must be precisely. Majors often find that the technical requirements are the most challenging. But programs are developed with these challenging. But programs are developed with these challenges in mind, and you generally have step-by-step guidance.

You will find many two-year fashion design programs leading to an associate degree, and some four-year programs leading to a bachelor’s degree. The fashion design curriculum is similar in the two programs, but the first two years of B.A. programs provide a broad liberal arts background.

Programs can also be categorized by type of approach: training-based and theory-based. Elements of both types are essential for success in the industry. In the training approach, you have more opportunity to practice the skills you study in the classroom. As you construct garments from start to finish, you absorb the nuances of design, discover and solve problems, and perfect your technique. A theory-based education, in contrast, gives you a broader understanding of the industry as a whole-its history and its future.

Career options and trends:

Designer or assistant designer; pattern maker; grader; visual merchandiser, textile designer, technical designer; illustrator; stylist; costume designer. As the fashion industry incorporates computer technology into every aspect of design, traditional ways of creating garments are being revolutionized. Majors in fashion should become proficient in as many of the software programs used in the fashion industry as possible. Since two-thirds of salaried fashion designers work in either New York or California, a willingness to relocate may be necessary.

As in all design fields, fashion majors face a lot of competition. Demand for designers should remain strong, however, because style-conscious consumers will always want something new to wear. The best opportunities will be in design firms that specialize in stylish, affordable, mass market clothing; opportunities will be limited in firms that cater to more specialized, higher-end customers.

Source: CollegeBoard 2012 Book of Majors