If you are thinking about a career in the fashion industry

What You Need to Know If you spent your childhood making clothes for your teddy bears, sketching fantastical outfits for your Barbie dolls or dressing up your little brothers and sisters, you are probably destined to be a fashion designer or work in the fashion industry in some other capacity. You can't just take that passion and build a career out of it, though. You still have to do all the tedious work of learning the correct ways to conceptualize, sketch, make patterns, sew (both with a machine and needle/thread), fit the mannequin and the model, construct the garment and perform all the techniques that enhance your finished products. You also need to be able to make all the finishing touches that turn an unfinished product into a completely stunning and polished masterpiece. Aside from creating garments, fashion design curriculums also teaches students all the things they need to know about the business side of the industry. This could include things like organizing a fashion show, designing backdrops for the catwalk, publicizing a fashion event and marketing your own business. Whether you want to be an independent designer or work for a major design house or department store, you will need to know these things. A Variety of Fashion School Options There are many different types of schools that you can attend to undertake a comprehensive fashion design curriculum. There are two-year programs at community colleges and four-year programs at traditional colleges and universities. There are also private art and design schools and a few online courses as well. The curriculum should prepare you for everything from drawing the sketches to sewing the outfits to publicizing the finished products. As long as you attend a reputable and accredited design program, you should be well on your way to a cutting edge fashion career.