Fashion design is an exciting, constantly evolving field.

It also takes a lot of work, and can be

incredibly competitive. If you want to become a successful fashion designer, you have a long
road ahead of you, but there are some straightforward steps you can take to begin the process
of designing clothes, regardless of whether or not you want to do this for a living.

Method 1
Assembling a Mental Toolkit
1.

1
Learn about drawing. You don’t need to be a master illustrator; a lot of designers use a funky
personal style when they design. That said, you do need to be able to communicate your vision
visually.[1] Take a drawing class, study some books, or just practice, practice, practice.[2]
 The most important part of learning any new skill is just doing it a lot. Set aside 30
minutes every day to practice drawing.
 A good book to reference is Mark Kistler’s You Can Draw in 30 Days.
2.

2
Learn about sewing. Even if you don’t want to be the one to actually sew your designs, you
need to know about sewing. Understanding the possibilities presented by your medium is an
important part of being able to come up with innovative, exciting ideas.[3]
 Many craft stores like Jo-Ann Fabric offer relatively cheap sewing classes.
 Studying pattern making is a must if you intend to sew your own garments.[4] You will
need to know how a garment is physically assembled. Knowing how to break a design
down into shapes is a crucial part of being able to sew a garment.
 Buy some simple patterns at a craft store to practice with.
3.
3
Learn about design. If you want to produce innovative designs, you have to know about design
theory.[5] Molly Bang’s book Picture This: How Pictures Work is a great place to start. It will
help you learn to think like a designer.
 Don’t limit yourself to studying fashion design exclusively. The principles of design
theory apply across all sorts of disciplines. It may surprise you how much studying
something like typography can teach you about fashion design.
4.

4
Learn about fashion. If you want to design clothes, you may want to learn all you can about the
world of fashion. You may think of yourself as a very stylish person, but knowing how to dress
yourself well is only the tip of the iceberg.[6] If you are designing based on what is hot right now,
by the time your design is complete it might already be out of style. Professional fashion
designers are constantly thinking ahead, to what the next big thing will be.[7]
 Watch videos or look at pictures from high-profile fashion shows online, or go in
person if one is happening near where you live. Professional designers design their
seasonal collections months in advance, so these shows can give you an idea of what
kinds of trends will be trickling down into commercial fashion in the future.
 History and film are great inspirations. History is a big answer to how and why we
wore things.[8]
5.

5
Learn about technology and resources. There are more tools available to designers now than
there ever have been before. On top of knowing your way around a sketchbook and a sewing
machine, you will need to know your way around Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
 Websites like Linda.com or Tuts+ are good online resources.
  If you want to do your sketching on a computer instead of in a sketchbook, you will
need to purchase a good pen tablet, such as a Wacom.
Score
0 / 5
Method 1 Quiz
How well do you need to be able to draw in order to design clothes?
Not at all.

Enough to visually communicate your designs.

Extremely well.
Method 2
Dreaming Up Designs
1.

1
Find your inspiration. What are you passionate about? What makes you itch to create? It might
be a particular fabric, a work of visual art you saw, something you want but can’t seem to find in
stores, a garment you saw on the street, a particular color pattern, a retro trend you want to bring
back, or any number of other things. There is no right way to get inspired. The important thing is
to find something that excites you.
 Consider your customer. What kind of person do you imagine buying your designs?
What does that kind of person need in a garment? Be practical when designing clothes
for yourself, design things you'll love owning or wearing.
 Combining existing styles and trends can be an interesting way to generate new looks.
What would it be like to blend military elements with softer, more flowy ones? What
would 1990s meets 1930s look like? How can you incorporate menswear elements into
womenswear?
 Get out of your comfort zone and learn about art, photography, history, and fashion
icons. These can all inspire you.[9]
2.
2
Consider fabric. Do you want a stretchy material, or something with less give? Is your design
flowy, or rigid and architectural? Should the fabric be smooth, or textural? If your original
inspiration was an amazing fabric you found, you already have this covered. Otherwise, think
about what kind of material your design demands.
 Consider embellishments such as buttons, lace, beads or embroidery floss as well.
These can often impact your fabric choice.
3.

3
Consider color and pattern. A lot of the impact of your design hinges on your use of color and
pattern. Think about the garment's intended purpose and how you imagine someone wearing it.
Consider your customer, and what she might want to wear. Most of all, go with what you think
looks good. There are no hard and fast rules here. You are the designer, and you should be true to
yourself above all things.
 Look at a color wheel. Remember, contrasting colors (the ones across the color wheel
from each other) make each other stand out. This can add a dramatic affect to your
design, but if not handled well it can also be jarring and off-putting.[10]
 Get some paint swatches from a paint store, and use them to experiment with different
color combinations before you purchase fabric.
 Colors and shapes can all help you get ideas for creating new pieces.[11]
Score
0 / 5
Method 2 Quiz
If you want the colors on your design to really stand out, what kind of colors should you
use?
Warm ones

Cool ones

Analogous ones

Contrasting ones
 Method 3
Drawing Your Design on a Croquis
1.

1
Draw the outline of a person. When designing clothes, it’s important to think about how your
garment will look on the body. This is why most designers draw their designs onto a human
form. It can be intimidating and time-consuming to have to draw a figure from scratch every
time you make a new design, so many designers use a croquis.[12] This just means a template you
can use each time you sketch out a new garment. You will need to start by drawing the outline of
a person in pencil. This is an intimidating prospect, but it doesn’t need to be difficult.
 If you’re not too daunted, freehand it. The idea here is not to be anatomically correct,
and most designers’ croquis drawings are rendered in some kind of personal style.
Your design will look even more unique on a figure you drew yourself. Don’t worry
about small details; think of your drawing as a 2-dimensional mannequin.
 If you don’t feel up to the task of drawing a human figure from scratch, use someone
else’s work. Trace an image from a book or a magazine, or download one of the
hundreds of free croquis templates you can find online.[13] [14]
 Many designers use something called the 9 heads method to make sure their drawings
are evenly proportioned. The idea is to use a head as a unit of measure, and to draw a
body that measures nine heads from the feet to the top of the neck.[15]
 Draw a straight vertical line, and divide it into 10 equal parts. This will be
your guide as you draw.
 Section 1 starts just under the head, and measures the body from the top of the
neck to the middle of the chest; section 2 measures from the middle of the
chest to the waist; section 3 from the waist to the bottom of the hips; section 4
from the bottom of the waist to mid-thigh, section 5 from mid-thigh to knee,
section 6 from knee to upper calve, section 7 from upper calve to mid-calve,
section 8 from mid-calve to ankle, and section 9 measures the foot.[16]
2.
2
Retrace the figure in dark pen. You are going to need to be able to trace this drawing onto
another piece of paper laid on top of it. To make that possible, you’ll have to retrace the lines of
your figure drawing with a dark pen.[17]
3.

3
Trace the figure onto another sheet of paper. For this step you will need to put down the pen
and pick up a pencil again. Lay another piece of plain white paper on top of the croquis you just
drew. You should be able to see it relatively well, as long as you used a dark pen and your paper
isn’t too thick.[18]
 If you have a lightbox, this would be a good time to use it. Just lay the croquis onto the
lightbox, put the blank sheet of paper on top of it, turn the lightbox, on, and trace
away.
 If you don’t have a lightbox and are having trouble seeing through your paper, try
taping the two sheets of paper to a window on a bright day. You’ll have to trace at an
odd angle, but the effect is basically the same as if you used a lightbox.
4.

4
Start sketching your design. Still using your pencil so you can erase inevitable mistakes, lightly
draw the garment you’ve been imagining. Start with more general things like the basic shape of
the garment, and gradually add details as it takes form. When you are satisfied, retrace the whole
drawing in pen.[19]
5.
5
Color your design. You can use whatever drawing materials you want for this step. Markers and
colored pencils work particularly well, since they lend themselves to layering. Start with the
lightest colors you plan on using, and shade in larger areas with long, consistent strokes that
move in the same direction as the fabric. Gradually incorporate darker colors, patterns, and
shadow as you go.[20] [21]
6.

6
Repeat as wanted. Now that you have a croquis, starting a new design should be much faster.
Just trace the figure, and get going.
Score
0 / 5
Method 3 Quiz
Once you've traced your croquis onto a sheet of paper, should you start sketching your
design onto it with a pen or pencil?
A pen

A pencil

Whichever you feel more comfortable with

Method 4
Sewing
1.

1
Make a dummy. You will need a dressmaking dummy to be able to see the garment as you
work on it, and make sure it fits a human form. If you don’t have one, you can create a makeshift
one yourself, in your own size.[22]
  Put on a shirt that you don’t want, and cover it completely with duct tape while
wearing it. This will create a stiff duct tape form in the shape of your body.
 Remove it by cutting it down the side, from your hip to your armpit, and then up along
the sleeve.
 Tape back over the cut to make the form whole again. Stuff it with newspaper, and
close up the bottom, neck, and sleeves with more duct tape. You can decide whether to
keep the arms, or cut them off.
2.

2
Draw your pattern on butcher paper. Use a pencil in case of mistakes, and label each section
to avoid confusion later. Remember the old carpenters’ adage: measure twice, cut once. You can
waste a lot of time with a single mistake. When you’re done, cut out the shapes.
 Ideally you should know a thing or two about pattern making before attempting this,
but you don’t have to be an expert. You do need to be able to envision how your
garment will be put together, however, and have the skills to execute it.[23]
3.

3
Recreate the pattern on muslin. Lay the butcher paper pieces of your pattern onto muslin, and
trace them. Cut these out too, and pin them into the basic shape of your garment.[24]
4.

4
Sew your mock-up. Introduce your pinned muslin garment to your sewing machine. Remove
the pins, and put the garment on a mannequin, or on your own body if you are designing for
yourself.
5.
5
Evaluate the garment. Look at how it fits. Think about the shape. What’s working? What isn’t?
Take notes, make sketches, draw on or cut the muslin, or whatever helps you make sense of the
changes you want to make.[25]
6.

6
Decide what your next step is. How close is the mock-up to what you had envisioned? Are you
ready to move forward with this design? Do you need to make another before you try it with
nicer fabric? Depending on how your mock-up looks, you may want to go back to the drawing
board completely, or you may be ready to move on to sewing the actual garment.[26]
7.

7
Move on to the real thing. It’s time to bring your design to life. Proceed as you did with the
muslin mock-up.[27] [28] Remember, you are going to make mistakes, especially the first few
times around. Make sure you buy more fabric than you think you need, give yourself lots of extra
time, and always double-check your measurements. Things will not always go according to plan.
Be prepared to problem solve, or tweak your design as you go. Sometimes the most exciting
innovations come from mistakes.
Score
0 / 5
Method 4 Quiz
What should you do if your muslin mock-up doesn't look anything like how you envisioned
your garment?
Make another mock-up.
 Make another dressmaking dummy.

Make notes on what you want to change, then move onto using real fabric.
Method 5
Selling Your Work
1.

1
Build a portfolio. Document your work in photographs as you go. This is how you will sell
yourself as a designer as your career progresses. Keep in mind that you want to showcase your
versatility, while also demonstrating that you have a unique voice and point of view. There
should be a variety of pieces in your portfolio, but they should all scream “you.”[29] [30]
 Take quality photographs. Don’t just lay the dress you made on your bed and take a
poorly lit picture with your phone. Put your garments on live models, make sure they
are well lit (if you don’t have the resources to do this inside, go outside on slightly
overcast day—this will give you even lighting), use a decent camera, and pay attention
to details like hair, makeup, and accessories. The way you present your work plays a
huge roll in the impact it creates.[31]
2.

2
Do some research. Are there independent clothing boutiques in your area that sell clothes with
an aesthetic similar to yours? Are there websites that sell clothes that remind you of your own?
Try to find designers doing work that reminds you of yours, or of what you would like your
designs to evolve into. Observe their tactics.
3.

3
Use online resources. Some websites will fabricate your designs for you, if they or their users
are sufficiently impressed. Look into websites like Gamz and Fabricly if you think you have a
killer design that you’re not up to sewing on your own.[32]
 If you are more of a graphic designer, but think your work would look great on
clothing, look into sites like RedBubble, that can print your artwork on a variety of
different products.
4.

4
Build a website. If you want to sell your clothes, the world must know about your genius.
Almost anyone can design a beautiful website these days; use a platform like Squarespace to
create a site to display your portfolio. Keep it simple and elegant. You want to the focus to be on
your clothing design, not your web design.
5.

5
Brand yourself. Develop a social media presence. Get on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram,
Tumblr, the works. You need to get eyes on your work, above and beyond all else. Worry about
selling things later. Right now, you need to create a buzz.