Annual Salary
£20,000 to £40,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Arts & crafts or Design or go back to all job sectors or go to green jobs
Fashion designers use creative and technical skills to design new clothing and fashion ranges.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; attending events or appointments
There will be
0.5% more Fashion designer jobs in 2027.
As part of your day-to-day tasks, you could:
You could work in a workshop or in a creative studio.
You can get into this job through:
You'll usually need a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree.
Courses are widely available and include:
You should look for a course that covers both design and technical skills to get the practical knowledge needed by the industry.
Some universities and colleges are members of the British Fashion Council.
You'll usually need:
You could do a college course, which will teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need to work in the fashion industry. Relevant subjects include:
You'll usually need:
You may be able to do a fashion studio assistant advanced apprenticeship and follow the product development and production pathway. You could work as a design assistant in a studio, develop your design skills on the job and work your way into a designer role.
This apprenticeship typically takes 18 months to complete as a mix of workplace learning and off-the-job study.
You'll usually need:
You'll need to get as much work experience as you can, for example through an internship, as there's strong competition for jobs in the fashion industry.
It will help you get a better understanding of the role, and to meet people who may help you to find paid work later.
The British Fashion Industry supports initiatives like the National Saturday Club for young people from 13 to 16 looking to get an insight into fashion careers.
You can create a portfolio of your design work to showcase your skills, which will help you at course and job interviews. Your portfolio should include mood boards, designs, technical drawings and examples of completed fashion items you have made.
You can find more details about working in fashion from:the British Fashion Council; UK Fashion and Textiles (UKFT); Discover Creative Careers
With experience you could progress to senior designer, head of a fashion department or design director. You could move into other aspects of the fashion business like marketing or buying.
You could develop business skills and go freelance or start your own fashion company.
You could teach your skills to students in schools, colleges or universities.
You'll need: