Challenges As a Fashion Designer
A career in fashion is not all like The Devil Wears Prada. Depictions of fashion industry careers often tempt promises of creative fulfillment, fame, and glamour. However, real fashion designers often comment that the media fail to truly express what it’s like to work in the industry and as a fashion designer. While it’s possible to find satisfaction in owning a fashion brand, it’s also important to be in tune with the reality of what it will bring to your professional experience. Here are some of the 5 challenges that you know!
1. It’s About Who You Know
While hard work and passion contribute greatly to a fashion designer’s success, connecting with accomplished and well-positioned professionals is also very helpful. This way you can get to know successful models, photographers, and manufacturers, and if the relationship is close, people can turn to you for help or refer you to their professional colleagues.
This relationship can come from anywhere, it can be from parents, friends and others who have other connections with experts! If you don’t already have a network, we recommend expanding it through industry events and social media. With Covid-19 restrictions lifted, you can attend more fashion industry events in person in your community, such as trade shows, pop-up shops and fashion shows. Check out Eventbrite to find local events.
Contacting people virtually via social media platforms like Linkedin, Facebook or Instagram is also an option. Don’t forget to connect with people who use your alumni network from a university or college, especially if it’s a school with a creative focus. Whether in person or online, don’t be afraid to show a genuine interest in your fellow fashion professionals. People want connections, so networking can work if you’re respectful, sincere, and enthusiastic.
2. High Investment Cost
Launching a fashion brand is one of the most expensive companies to start and maintain. Estimated to require at least a few thousand dollars. The financial challenges of producing, storing and transporting apparel products can be a major reason for the failure of startups in this field.
The realities of cost and access to a well-placed network can intertwine here, as personal connections with independently wealthy friends or family can mean greater investment into a thriving fashion business. However, you can still raise your own funds through resources such as bank loans, pitching to investors, and crowdfunding.
3. Fashion Design Is Not As Free As You Think.
Your position as a fashion designer requires creativity. You are responsible for creating and executing unique garment designs. However, you will not have complete creative freedom. You need to consider how well your designs performed. As well as take into account the opinions of teammates such as marketers and manufacturers.
Another misconception about fashion designers is that they mainly make designs for runway shows. In fact, most designers will make clothes, handbags, and shoes for commercial use because that is what is being sold. Some parts on the runway are not even for sale, but are used for advertising purposes. Therefore, most of your designs should be more basic to suit the everyday wearer than artistic concepts for Vogue’s couture features.
4. Being a Fashion Designer Is a High Stress Job
It has been confirmed that working in fashion is an investment of time and energy. It is one of the most competitive and stressful industries. This requires someone who can handle a fast-paced and detail-oriented work environment. You must meet strict deadlines for ordering samples and approving production orders to ensure each collection launches on time, in the right season.
Working in fashion also requires a keen eye for detail. You will create, grade and approve every detail of your design including sizing, embroidery, stitching, and more. Plus, social media has the added pressure of constantly reminding you of how well other people are doing.
5. Fashion Has Sustainability Problems
We all know, and this has been in the public many times. The fashion industry is one of the most environmentally damaging industries due to overproduction, overconsumption and inefficient end-of-life practices. Garment production accounts for 10% of the world’s carbon emissions and uses 79 trillion liters of water annually. Beyond this, water pollution occurs at all stages of fashion production, including during fiber harvesting for textiles, fabric dyeing processes, and industrial production stages. And sadly, trying to implement a circular fashion system is complex and most clothes are not recyclable.
While big brands contribute the most to waste, thriving brand owners have a unique opportunity to work towards making the industry more sustainable by adopting sustainable practices from the very beginning of their line. There are plenty of strategies to help fashion brands act more sustainably from slow fashion movement using eco-friendly fabrics.
At the end..
This article is not to dissuade you from your ambition to own and sell your own clothing designs. Like many pursuits, it involves both challenges and risks, and a thorough understanding of the good, the bad, and the bad will help you face them all head on, with realistic strategies that increase your chances of a successful long-term career.