Science & ResearchISCO 2163
Clothing fashion designer
A clothing fashion designer is a person who creates concepts and sketches of their creative idea, by hand or in software, and builds them into collections of clothing.
Check yourself in a minute: clothing fashion designer
Rate 5 of the 12 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.
create technical sketches for footwear
draw up costume sketches
create mood boards
manage briefs for clothing manufacturing
draw sketches to develop textile articles
About clothing fashion designer
The designer analyses and interprets fashion trends in order to propose new ideas with aesthetic value, carries out forecasting and market research, and builds mood boards. From there a collection is put together around a mood or a concept, a colour palette, the materials, the drawings and the sketches, with ergonomic criteria among the things taken into account.
The designer knows the properties of textile materials: how a cloth drapes, how it recovers and how it takes a seam, and textile patterns are developed where a print or a weave is part of the design.
The designer designs clothing, alters garments and produces costume sketches, by hand or with software. The designer also manages client requirements for the garments being produced, keeping a collection coherent while satisfying what a customer has asked for. Formal requirements are set by the employer.
European Skills Framework
Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential (12)
properties of textile materialsproperties of textile materialsThe characteristics and properties of different textile and fabric materials. These include strength, flexibility, elasticity, softness, durability, heat insulation, low weight, water absorbency/repel...portfolio management in textile manufacturingportfolio management in textile manufacturingThe process of managing teams and projects in textile and clothing product development.create technical sketches for footwearcreate technical sketches for footwearBe able to use various sketching and drawing techniques, including artistic representation, by hand or by computer, being aware of proportion and perspective, to sketch and draw footwear, lasts, soles...draw up costume sketchesdraw up costume sketchesDraw sketches of costumes and clothing accessories; note specifications such as size, material type and colour scheme.create mood boardscreate mood boardsCreate mood boards for fashion or interior design collections, gathering different sources of inspirations, sensations, trends, and textures, discussing with the people involved in the project to make...manage briefs for clothing manufacturingmanage briefs for clothing manufacturingManage briefs from clients for the manufacturing of wearing apparel. Collect customers' demands and prepare them into specifications for the production.draw sketches to develop textile articlesdraw sketches to develop textile articlesDraw sketches to develop textiles or wearing apparel by hand. They create visualisations of the motives, patterns or products in order to be manufactured.alter wearing apparelalter wearing apparelAlter wearing apparel repairing or adjusting it to the clients/manufacturing specifications. Perform altering by hand or using equipment.produce textile designsproduce textile designsDraw sketches for textile design, by hand or on computer, using specialist Computer Aided Design (CAD) software.keep up to date on costume designkeep up to date on costume designVisit textile showrooms, read fashion magazines, keep up-to-date with trends and changes in the world of fabrics and designs.design wearing appareldesign wearing apparelUse analytical skills, creativity, and recognise future trends in order to design wearing apparel.develop design conceptdevelop design conceptResearch information to develop new ideas and concepts for the design of a specific production. Read scripts and consult directors and other production staff members, in order to develop design concep...
Optional (43) — show
manufacturing of wearing apparelmanufacturing of wearing apparelThe processes used to fabricate wearing apparel and the different technologies and machinery involved in the manufacturing processes.manufacturing of made-up textile articlesmanufacturing of made-up textile articlesManufacturing processes in wearing apparel and made-up textiles. Different technologies and machinery involved in the manufacturing processes.marker makingmarker makingMarker diagram of a precise arrangement of pattern pieces for a specific style and the sizes to be cut from a single spread. Markers can be made by manually tracing master patterns onto the fabric or ...e-tailoringe-tailoringThe business model using softwares and technical applications in order to gather the information of clients for the manufacturing of bespoke products.manufacturing of children clothingmanufacturing of children clothingThe specificities of manufacturing clothing for children, considering the sizes and adaptations required in the manufacturing process such as cutting, types of fabrics, patterns, and quality.fabric spreading in the fashion industryfabric spreading in the fashion industryPreparatory operation for cutting textile pieces which consists of laying piles of cloth on top of the other in a pre-determined direction and relationship between the right and the wrong side of the ...3D body scanning technologies3D body scanning technologiesThe principles and usage of technologies for 3D body scanning used to capture the size and shape of the human body.apparel manufacturing technologyapparel manufacturing technologyTraditional and advanced apparel manufacturing technologies. Technologies including processes, machinery, etc. in order to compile and design pattern requirements, contribute to product costing and fi...history of fashionhistory of fashionCostumes and the cultural traditions around clothing.CAD for garment manufacturingCAD for garment manufacturingSoftwares of computer aided design for garment manufacturing which allow create 2 or 3 dimensional drawings.standard sizing systems for clothingstandard sizing systems for clothingStandard sizing systems for clothing developed by different countries. Differences among the systems and standards of different countries, the development of the systems according to the evolution of ...manufacture wearing apparel productsmanufacture wearing apparel productsManufacture either mass-product or bespoke wearing apparels of various types, assembling and joining together wearing apparel components using processes such as sewing, gluing, bonding. Assemble weari...evaluate garment qualityevaluate garment qualityEvaluating stitching, construction, attachments, fasteners, embellishments, shading within the garment; evaluating pattern continuity-, matching; evaluating tapes and linings.coordinate manufacturing production activitiescoordinate manufacturing production activitiesCoordinate manufacturing activities based on production strategies, policies and plans. Study details of the planning such as expected quality of the products, quantities, cost, and labour required to...sew textile-based articlessew textile-based articlesSew different products based on textiles and wearing apparel articles. Combine good hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity, and physical and mental stamina.manufacture personal protective equipment made of textilemanufacture personal protective equipment made of textileManufacture personal protective equipment made out of textiles following standards and norms, and depending on the application of the product.use textile technique for hand-made productsuse textile technique for hand-made productsUsing textile technique to produce hand-made products, such as carpets, tapestry, embroidery, lace, silk screen printing, wearing apparel, etc.embroider fabricsembroider fabricsEmbroider fabrics of different proveniences or finished articles by using embroidery machines or by hand.create patterns for garmentscreate patterns for garmentsCreate patterns for garments using pattern making softwares or by hand from sketches provided by fashion designers or product requirements. Create patterns for different sizes, styles, and components ...analyse scanned data of the bodyanalyse scanned data of the bodyAnalyse 3D scanned data for the development of prototypes, of avatars, for the creation of size charts, the garment pattern modification, alteration and manipulation, and for testing fit.inspect wearing apparel productsinspect wearing apparel productsInspect and test products, parts and materials for conformity with specifications and standards. Discard or reject the ones not meeting the specifications.perform process control in the wearing apparel industryperform process control in the wearing apparel industryPerforms process control to wearing apparel products in order to assure mass production in an uninterrupted production manner. Control processes to ensure that processes are predictable, stable and co...distinguish fabricsdistinguish fabricsDistinguish fabrics in order to determine differences among them. Evaluate fabrics based on their characteristics and their application in wearing apparel manufacturing.modify textile designsmodify textile designsEdit sketches and digital textile designs until they meet up with customers' requirements.analyse clothing 3d prototypesanalyse clothing 3d prototypesAnalyse the prototype in order to adjust the pattern of clothing elements on the 3D avatar.make technical drawings of fashion piecesmake technical drawings of fashion piecesMake technical drawings of wearing apparel, leather goods and footwear including both technical and engineering drawings. Use them to communicate or to convey design ideas and manufacturing details to...decorate textile articlesdecorate textile articlesDecorate wearing apparels and made up textile articles by hand or using machines. Decorate textile articles with ornaments, braided cords, golden yarns, soutaches, jewellery, and cristals.use 3D scanners for clothinguse 3D scanners for clothingUse different 3D body scanners and softwares to capture the shape and size of the human body in order to produce 3D body model for the creation of avatars and mannequins.analyse supply chain strategiesanalyse supply chain strategiesExamine an organisation's planning details of production, their expected output units, quality, quantity, cost, time available and labour requirements. Provide suggestions in order to improve products...grade patterns for wearing apparelgrade patterns for wearing apparelGrading patterns by performing processes of resizing initial patterns in order to create nest of patterns to fit various body types and sizes.draw up costume patternsdraw up costume patternsDraw and cut out costume patterns using scissors and measuring instruments.operate garment manufacturing machinesoperate garment manufacturing machinesOperate and monitor machines which make miscellaneous wearing apparel articles. Operate and monitor machines that fold cloth into measured length, and measure size of pieces.cut fabricscut fabricsCut fabrics and other wearing apparel materials considering measures, placement of the fabrics in the cutting table in multiple layers, and making the most efficient usage of the fabric avoiding waste...sew pieces of fabricsew pieces of fabricOperate basic or specialised sewing machines whether domestic or industrial ones, sewing pieces of fabric, vinyl or leather in order to manufacture or repair wearing apparels, making sure the threads ...examine sample garmentsexamine sample garmentsExamine sample garments; alter designs of sample garments.analyse costume sketchesanalyse costume sketchesDetermine which materials to buy to make or finish costumes by studying the costume sketches. Familiarise yourself with the colour scheme and style.operate computerised control systemsoperate computerised control systemsOperate electronic or computerised control panels to monitor and optimise processes, and to control process start-up and shut-downs.define specifications for clothingdefine specifications for clothingDefine the different clothing product specifications and select the different clothing product materials, accessories, seams, artwork and label specifications.draw sketches to develop textile articles using softwaresdraw sketches to develop textile articles using softwaresDraw sketches to develop textiles or wearing apparel using softwares. They create visualisations of the motives, patterns or products in order to be manufactured.select design elementsselect design elementsDetermine which photographs, art, or other design elements to use.prepare production prototypesprepare production prototypesPrepare early models or prototypes in order to test concepts and replicability possibilities. Create prototypes to assess for pre-production tests.apply fashion trends to footwear and leather goodsapply fashion trends to footwear and leather goodsBe able to stay up to date on the latest styles, attending fashion shows and review fashion/clothing magazines and manuals, analysing the past and present fashion trends in areas such as footwear, lea...pleat fabricspleat fabricsApply pleating processes to fabrics and wearing apparel products following adequate procedures and using specific equipment for the purpose.
Related Occupations
Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.
fashion designer5 shared essential skillstextile designer5 shared essential skillscostume designer4 shared essential skillsdressmaker4 shared essential skillstailor4 shared essential skillstextile product developer3 shared essential skillscarpet handicraft worker2 shared essential skillscarpet weaver2 shared essential skills
Frequently asked questions
What does a clothing fashion designer do?
Clothing fashion designers create concepts and make sketches of their creative ideas by hand or by using software. They analyse and interpret fashion trends in order to propose new ideas with high aesthetical value. They perform forecasting and market research to put together collections. They build collection lines by operating mood or concept boards, colour palettes, materials, drawings and sketches considering among others ergonomical criteria, etc.
What skills does a clothing fashion designer need?
A clothing fashion designer needs 12 essential skills, including properties of textile materials, portfolio management in textile manufacturing, create technical sketches for footwear, draw up costume sketches, create mood boards.
Will AI replace clothing fashion designer jobs?
The AI disruption score for clothing fashion designer is 45/100 (moderate risk). Skills most exposed to automation: perform process control in the wearing apparel industry, manufacturing of made-up textile articles, marker making. Most resilient: alter wearing apparel, use textile technique for hand-made products, pleat fabrics.
AI Replacement Risk
45/ 100
Moderate Risk
Low riskHigh risk
Quick Facts
Is clothing fashion designer right for you?
Take the free 10-minute Career Portrait to see which career direction fits your motivations and strengths.
Take the free test