AllFreelanceWork.com is an 8 year old Freelance Projects Board offering freelancers Freelance Jobs Search, Free Portfolios,& articles. AllFreelanceWork is also a great small business resource for starting a home business & looking for home business opportunities (no scams). AllFreelanceWork is filled with freelance resources, including small business startup tips, self-employment articles, how to start a freelance or small home business, articles about self-employed health insurance offers, promoting & marketing your small business, finding small business & freelance business opportunites for graphic designers, web designers, writers, screenwriters, programmers,artists, editors, & other careers & professions.

	Search Career Schools Zip Code: Subject: Digital & Media Arts Fashion Design Interior Design Photography Graphic Design Animation Web Design Business Culinary Arts Education Healthcare Law & Justice Psychology Technology Technicians Degree: - Select All Degrees - Associate's Bachelor's Master's Doctoral Certificates Diplomas Coursework Online Campus Both

Home > Articles > Getting Started >Five Myths and Five Tips for Breaking Into a Career as a Fashion Designer

5 Myths & 5 Tips for Breaking Into a Career as a Freelance Fashion Designer

By Jennie S. Bev, StyleCareer.com Editor-in-Chief

For many women, becoming a fashion designer is a lifelong dream. We all love to wear beautiful clothes and make ourselves feel good from the inside out.

We often imagine what it feels like to actually make money doing something this great: dressing people up and making them feel good, models catwalking the runway gracefully to showcase our designs, stylists working frantically at the backstage and we are introduced as “the designer” at the closing. Ah, pretty tempting, indeed, but somehow it feels so surreal. Can I actually become a fashion designer?

Despite the misconception that only those who graduate from New York prestigious fashion schools can make it big in this highly lucrative and competitive field, many fashion designers literally work their way up working from home.

Karen and Warren Hipwell, for instance, started and still operate design studio from their residence in Massachusetts. Despite their humble start, now their products are sold in 110 retailers nationwide. Pure luck? Think again.

You Too Can Become a Freelance Fashion Designer

You, too, can become a fashion designer even if you have never worn “designer” clothes, don’t have a fashion degree, can’t draw or sew, and live far away from New York or Los Angeles. These are no more than myths. Let me briefly explain them to you.

Myth One: I have never worn “designer” clothes.

Reality: All clothes, including those in your closet, are designed by fashion designers. Many people confuse designer “collection,” which means high-priced seasonal line designed by top designers, with “the person” who designs clothes.

Myth Two: I don’t have a fashion degree.

Reality: Unlike the medical professions, which require extensive classroom and hands-on training, you can learn how to design anywhere. No special education is needed. You’ll be surprised to know that many established designers don’t have any special training.

Myth Three: I live far away from New York or Los Angeles.

Reality: While NY and LA are great places to find an internship position with established designers, fashion is a part of life and fashion designers can be found everywhere. Whether you live in a city of millions or a town of 10,000, there must be at least a few local fashion designers.

Myth Four: I cannot draw or sew.

Reality: Nobody can at the beginning. Strong motivation and perseverance are more important than how well you can draw or sew. Such skills can be learned easily (including using some free resources).

Myth Five: I don’t feel comfortable working in a high-profile industry.

Reality: Well, this glamorous image is no more than the most over-rated trait of the fashion industry. This image is created by the media with the help of fashion publicists and marketers to boost sales. Thus, the purpose is pure business. The better the coverage, the better the sales will be. Fashion designers work very hard for 18 to 24 months to deliver the best designs of the season.

Some Tips for Starting A Career as a Fashion Designer

First, a fashion designer is an artist and an entrepreneur in one. Why? Because if you design in the name of art without considering the marketability, it’s very likely you won’t be successful. Many designers fail because of this.

Second, you can choose your design specializations from a long list of classifications. Trivial items, such as beach and leg wears, are highly profitable products and relatively easy to produce compared with haute couture pieces.

Third, understand what your career goal is. You can choose whether you want to work for others or for yourself. Whichever one your choice is, apprenticeship is always a great option for new designers.

Fourth, keep up with the industry trends and news. Travel and read a lot to be informed and inspired. New insights will keep your creative skills fresh and ready to roll.

Fifth, persevere. Perseverance is the most important virtue of all because without it, nothing can be completed. Perseverance is your ticket to the peak of your career.
=====

Jennie S. Bev is an author and the Editor-in-Chief of StyleCareer.com (http://www.stylecareer.com). StyleCareer.com publishes eGuides that help fashion job seekers breaking into and succeeding in their dream careers.

Please suggest a site here

Freelance Billing Help

Graphic Design Portal

Adobe Photoshop Tutorials

sister sites :

Freelance Self-Employed Jobs Directory

Graphics Software Information

All Work At Home Ideas

Tutorials Directory

All Freelance Work is a freelance jobboard, small business community, consulting business article base, and freelance self-employment business information zone (and also great for people who have home-based businesses). All Freelance Work has been around since 2000 and is the home to over 170,000 freelancers. With 100s of freelance articles and 30,000 registered employers of freelancers, we have helped 1000 of contracted independent professionals find the perfect consulting jobs. Spend some time on this freelance site and see why so many freelancers keep coming back to All Freelance Work day after day. We welcome all self-employed professionals and we welcome all employers looking to hire our independent professionals. (Employers Can Search or Browse for Portfolios from the bottom or top of this page).

CONTACT US ------ ADVERTISERS ------ FAQ ------ ABOUT US ------ PRIVACY POLICY ------ TERMS OF USELinks -----> folios--Adobe Photoshop Tutorials--All Work At Home Ideas--Freelance Jobs --Graphic Designers Resources--All Advertising Online--Artists Helping Children--Blue Sfear--ContractedWork--Family Travel Destinations -- Schools and Learning -- Find Dentists --Web Design Resources -- Graphics Software & Photoshop Tutorials -- Web Design -- Web Designers -- Web Design Portfolio

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A FREELANCER - BROWSE THROUGH OUR FREELANCER'S PORTFOLIOS BELOW:

Freelance Graphic Designers Portfolios -- Freelance Animators Portfolios -- Freelance Multimedia Artists Portfolios -- Flash Artists Portfolios -- CAD Professionals Portfolios -- Freelance Copyeditors Portfolios -- Proofreaders Portfolios -- Creative Direction Portfolios -- Freelance Creative Directors Portfolios -- Fashion Designers Portfolios -- Film / Video / Audio Artists Portfolios -- Game Artists Portfolios -- Freelance Desktop Publishers DTP Galleries -- Illustrator and Illustration Galleries -- Free-lance Cartoonists Galleries -- Free-lance Industrial Designers Galleries -- Free-lance Interior Designers Galleries -- Marketing and Promotional Designers Galleries -- Muralists Galleries -- Faux Finishers Galleries -- Free-lance Photographers Galleries -- Powerpoint Artists Galleries -- Free-lance Presentation Artists Galleries -- Free-lance Translators Galleries -- Free-lance Web Designers Galleries -- Writers Galleries -- Journalists Galleries -- Contracted Web Developers Galleries -- Database Developers Galleries -- Contracted Web Copywriters -- Web Animators Portfolios -- Contracted IT Testers -- Contracted Tech Trainers -- Programmers Portfolios -- Contracted IT Networkers --Database Programmers -- Contracted Tech Writers -- System Administrators and Admins --Engineers -- Contracted Data Processors -- Contracted CPAs -- Contracted Accountants -- Financial Planners -- Contracted Bookkeepers -- Contracted Lawyers and Attorneys -- Financial Analyzers -- Investors -- Contracted Legal Assistants -- Contracted Paralegals -- Contracted Managers and Strategists -- Contracted Analysts -- Contracted Brand Strategists -- Contracted Customer Service Agents -- Contracted Business Development -- Self-Employed Advertisement Managers -- Self-Employed Marketers -- Self-Employed Sales -- Media Buyers -- Self-Employed Web Promoters -- Self-Employed Public Relations Agents -- Self-Employed Architects -- Self-Employed Engineers -- Event Planners -- Self-Employed Musicians -- Self-Employed Politics Advisors -- Recruiters -- Self-Employed Scientists -- Self-Employed Coaches and Trainers -- Entertainers -- Self-Employed Fitness -- HR Human Resources -- Self-Employed Real Estate Agents -- Self-Employed Retailers -- Self-Employed Trainers -- Self-Employed Data Administrators -- Self-Employed Transcriptionists -- Virtual Assistants