Fashion design assistant
Fashion design assistants help designers create new clothing ranges for fashion brands and labels.
- Starter salary£22,000 a year
- Experienced£30,000 a year
- Typical hours40 to 42 a week
What you'll do
As a fashion design assistant, you could:
- research fashion tends, fabrics and trims
- contribute ideas during the development of new clothing ranges
- produce sketches and designs by hand or with design software
- help create patterns, samples and prototype garments
- inspect product quality during the design process
- add product details to a management system for production and sales
- deal with customer orders and deliveries
Working environment
You could work in a creative studio or in a workshop.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- design skills and knowledge
- the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to organise your time and workload
- to be flexible and open to change
- ambition and a desire to succeed
- the ability to work well with your hands
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
How to become a fashion design assistant
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
University
You could do a foundation degree or higher national diploma in a subject like:
- fashion
- art and design
- textiles
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
College
You could take a college course to learn skills in pattern cutting, sample machining and computer-aided design.
Courses include:
- fashion design
- fashion and textiles
- art and design
- T Level in Craft and Design
Look for courses that teach both the creative and technical side of the job. These will give you the practical skills that employers look for.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do a Garment Maker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.
This apprenticeship takes around 2 years to complete and is a mix of on-the-job training and classroom learning.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
Work
You could start as a general assistant with a fashion company or retailer, then work your way up by doing training and gaining qualifications in fashion design.
Volunteering
There is strong competition for jobs in the fashion industry, so it will help if you can get some experience and make employer contacts through internships, work placements or volunteering.
This will give you an understanding of the role and can help with interviews.
The British fashion industry supports initiatives like the National Saturday Club for young people aged 13 to 16, looking to learn about fashion careers.
Career path and progression
With training and experience you could become a fashion designer, then senior designer.
You might also move into:
- sales and marketing
- fashion buying
- photographic styling for product launches and shows
You could work as a freelance designer and create your own collections.
Career tips
You'll usually need to put together a portfolio of your work for course and job applications. This should include mood boards, designs, drawings and examples of finished items of clothing you have made.
Guides for this industry
Related roles
- Job roleFashion designer
- Job roleTextile designer
- Job roleCostume designer
- Job roleTailor
- Job rolePhotographic stylist
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