A fashion designer makes, on average, about $72,000 per year. This, in addition to the creative outlet this work provides, can be a draw for many students and persons looking for a new path.
Like many of the arts, there is equipment every fashion designer needs. Depending on what you’re designing, you may need additional equipment, but there is a core list of fashion design tools you’ll want to invest in if you’re pursuing an education or a career in this industry.
Keep reading to find out how you can fill out your fashion design toolbox.
5 Top Fashion Design Tools
If you want to start designing, from drawings to patterns to looks, you need a basic set of tools to help you create. If you’re a fashion design student, you might need specific brands or types of the equipment listed below, so always check with your syllabus first.
-
Fashionary Sketchbooks
These combine fashion drawing templates and sketchbooks. The templates will help you learn about fashion; they’re also light enough on the page that you can easily draw and color over them.
These books are the best way to get your ideas down on paper, which is the start of creating any great look. They can also save you time if you don’t know how to draw people to model your design fashions on the page.
-
Dressmaker Dummy
If you’re going to learn how to design fashions, you have to know how your looks will drape in real life. Dressmaker dummies are great because:
-
You can stick pins in them instead of your friends
-
You can change their size to customize your looks
-
You can bring your designs to life in 3D
-
Color Palette Chart
One of the most important fashion design tools and tricks is to create a color palette. Color theory is crucial for any visual design work, but you don’t want to have to reinvent the wheel. A color palette allows you to see–at a quick glance–which colors pair well together and how color is made from primary and secondary colors alike.
-
Markers, Colored Pencils, and Watercolors
Everyone knows you need pencils to draw, but unless you’re designing in monochrome–gray and white–pencils won’t be enough. Depending on color intensity and texture, you may want to use different tools to add color to make your fashion designs pop.
-
Fabric Scissors
Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine