Annual Salary
£24,000 to £40,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Fashion designers produce new clothing and fashion ranges using their creative and technical skills.
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 a fashion designer, 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.
Several universities and colleges that run courses are members of the British Fashion Council, which promotes strong links with employers in the fashion trade.
You'll usually need:
You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need to work in the fashion industry as an assistant.
Subjects include:
Once you've gained some experience with an employer, you may be able to do further training to become a fashion designer.
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.
This can help you get a better understanding of the role, and to meet people who may help you to find paid work later on.
The British fashion industry supports initiatives like the National Saturday Club for young people aged 13 to 16, looking to learn about fashion careers.
You can create a portfolio of your design work to showcase your skills, which will help you in 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 become a:senior designer; head of a fashion department; creative director
You might specialise in particular collections, for example childrenswear or sportswear, or move into other parts of the fashion business like marketing or buying.
You could develop business skills and go freelance, or start your own fashion company.
You may wish to pass on your skills and knowledge to students by teaching fashion design at college or university.
You'll need: