Do you need to know how to sew before going to college for fashion design?

Question

Does anyone have any experience with fashion design programs? Do you know any schools that require you to know how to sew and know the basic way of how to make clothes before you get there? Or will the school teach you everything you need to know?

Answer 1

If you're going to design, you have to know how things are put together. It's really easy to design things that can't be made. Do you know what designers do? And the pay scale?

http://www.fashion-incubator.com/products_services/table-of-contents/job-descriptions-in-industry/

(and you should be reading that site fairly religiously, and getting hold of Kathleen's book.)

Start here: http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/design_sketch_analysis/

http://www.fashion-incubator.com/category/newbies

http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/14212/advice-for-those-thinking-about-a-career-in-sewing-or-design

Answer 2

I went to fashion school. IT IS HARD WORK!!! You will be putting in long hours and it will get very expensive. The school will teach you how to sew. Having some home sewing basic will always come in handy, but they will teach you how to sew the way it is done in the industry. They will teach you patternmaking and draping.

Try to find a public university that has a fashion design program. Looks for designs that students and instructors have created, not just the illustrations, the garments themselves. Look on the school's website for the examples. If the garments look like something you would find in a suburban mall. They may not have the talent to help you with more challenging concepts you may have or even push you into exploring challenging and difficult concepts. Look at the work at Parsons.

Answer 3

OMG no! I do know that fashion colleges like FIDM/The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in LA have classes to help you develop your sewing skills for sure! My friend who applied to FIDM didn't know how to sew very well and now you would never be able to tell! If you're looking for good fashion colleges for fashion design, I would definitely look into FIDM. The school is great in supporting students develop their creative skills and at the same time, preparing them for the real world. The school encourages students to pursue internships to help them get experience in the fashion industry and it makes a great resume builder. The school also supports students well after they graduate and have constant access to their career center. I know my friend used their career center after graduating and now she's a stylist for Saks Fifth Avenue. If you want more info, I would talk to an advisor from FIDM because they can give you more info than I could. FIDM's website is: www.fidm.edu. Good Luck!

Answer 4

My major (for my first year of college) was fashion design. My school was not focused at all on fashion, but it did offer a sewing class. You should look up classes for fashion majors on your school's website. Hope you find what you're looking for!