The Characteristics

The best characteristics suited for the job would be someone that is friendly, smart, a good sense of colour, good communication skills, can work well with a wide variety of people, that can handle criticism, that can work hard, work long hours, passion, and lastly can sell ideas to others. Strong drawing skills, strong sewing skills, and is also a team player.

The worst characteristics suited for the job would be someone that can't stand to work a long time, is always late, does not like working with others, that has no sense of colour or fashion. Does not have experience, and has not taken any art classes.

Highschool Courses

You should take math, creative arts, business/computers, science, and social studies in grade 9. In grade 10 you should take math, visual arts, business, fashion, science, social studies, and personal & career development. In grade 11 you should make sure you take math, fashion, visual arts, and drafting & design, also science and social studies. You should take math, drafting & design, fashion, marketing, visual arts, fashion, and communications & media studies, social studies in grade 12.

These are all of the courses you will need to get into a college or a university. You need to take these courses in high school. You need to make rough sketches of garments, so you need to have drawing skills. You need to be good with numbers, because you need to measure fabric. You have got to have good ideas, you also have to know how to budget things for purchasing materials. And lastly, you have to be very creative.

Working Conditions & Salary

You can design clothes for people, you can also work with models. You can decide on if you want to work with people or not. Some people just want to make clothes, or shoes, and some want models to model their clothes on the runway.

For being a fashion designer you make around $80,000 a year. Fashion designers that are higher up in their career as a fashion designer can make up to $100,000 a year. Fashion designers that are just starting, make $24,000 and $50,000 a year, which is still pretty good. Different companies pay differently, it really depends on the company you work for.