Fashion Design and Merchandising Textile Professionals
November 8, 2011
•IADT General, IADT San Antonio, Fashion Design and Merchandising
• 0 Comments
Most jobs attract distinct right- or left-brained professionals (poets vs. accountants). A textile designer in the fashion design and merchandising industry, however, is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to combining creativity with business know-how.
Textile professionals develop patterns for fabric products while working with design professionals, clients and product manufacturers throughout the entire process. Here’s a breakdown of the two sides of operations.
Creative Designing
To create attractive textile patterns, professionals have to understand the elements of textile design and have a sense for how dyes and threads will work with the pattern in an actual product.
Just as an artist practices in several mediums, a textile designer becomes an expert in different textile materials. Types of textiles include:
- Cotton
- Silk
- Wool
- Polyester
- Nylon
Each has its own feel, look and popular usage. Designers use theme boards to come up with innovative ways to create patterns and textures to suit a specific fabric. Imagination and ingenuity help these professionals design for any textile.
Successful Selling
Retail and management savvy also occupy a textile designer’s skill set. Remember three P’s when it comes to these business responsibilities:
- Produce: Patterns eventually hit the product stage of life, and professionals need to communicate with manufacturers and distributors to arrange deals and logistics.
- Price: Pricing strategies involve tracking consumer trends and demands to set a profitable price range for each product.
- Promote: To promote merchandise, designers publicize goods to the fashion community and garner sales.
If you like both the artistic and business-oriented aspects of textile design, get started in a fashion design and merchandising degree program today to receive training and knowledge for career opportunities.
This article is presented by IADT-San Antonio. Contact us today if you’re interested in developing marketable knowledge and career-relevant skills with an industry-current degree program from IADT-San Antonio.