What is a Fashion Designer's Salary? - Fashion Designer's pay scale

Fashion Designer Salaries – A Desirable Career With High Pay.

Fashion design is a career choice desired by many. The glamour, creativity, and earning potential, along with names such as Tommy Hilfiger, Prada, Mark James, and Yves Saint Laurent, convey visions of glamorous clothes, red carpet events, celebrities, fame, and big bucks. However, the reality could not be farther from the truth. Those who choose careers in fashion design have beginning salaries below $30,000 a year; however, hard work, resolve, creativity, and the ability to stand out, can result in earning millions during the course of a career.

People associate fashion design with high profile designers who lend their name to the clothes we wear. Those who enjoy the world of fashion, but require job and income stability, have more secure opportunities available. Employment abounds in mass marketing and manufacturing. These garments are designed for retail and discount chains. As middle class demands increase for fashionable, yet affordable, clothing, these designers and manufacturers continue to grow in popularity. Beginning salaries in mass marketing average $30,000 a year; however, creating designs that are unique and functional, leads to potential income of $78, 000 or more per year.

Designer salaries are often dictated by employment. As mentioned above, designers who work for manufacturers can expect to make between $56,000 and $73,000 a year.

Design firms, franchises, universities, and design houses offer middle road salaries; somewhere between, $45,000 and $51,000 annual income.

Designers who choose the path of self-employment begin with a salary of $35,000 a year, but it is often these designers who have the greatest earning potential. While rare, these designers often create have their own label and design houses; their name brand label will command millions.

Employment location influences the salary of fashion designers. Unlike other industries, fashion design is focused in major U.S. cities. The greatest earning potential is found in cities such as San Francisco ($69,000 a year), Dallas ($67,000 a year), Los Angeles ($57,000 a year), Seattle ($56,000 a year) Miami ($45,000) and Chicago ($43,000 a year). Interestingly, although considered the design capital of the world, New York has third place honors with salaries averaging $63,000 annually. New York is inundated with new designers each year. Salaries are kept low, especially for those new to the industry, to test their mettle, and commitment to the industry.

Other factors that determine salary are education and experience. Designers, who have graduated from esteemed universities and design schools, garner higher salaries. Creativity, talent, and reputation allow a designer to stand out amongst competitors, and further increases income potential. Designers who respect their clients and employees have higher incomes and do not forget a client base of well known celebrities and headliners will boost a designer to the top of the salary scale.

As with any career choice, many factors including education, drive, creativity, location, and just plain hard work, will ultimately determine lifetime income for a fashion designer. For those willing to take risks, and search for prime opportunities, life time income is only limited by creativity and imagination.

Fashion design colleges : How to choose fashion design school

A successful future in the fashion design industry depends on right choice of school to attend. Although fashion design is not one of the more popular careers to pursue, if your talents lie in this field, there is ample opportunity awaiting you. However, the first thing to hurdle is your choice of school.
Fashion Design College
When choosing a fashion design school, consider the following factors.

Area of Focus

Look into the nature of the school. Is it solely a fashion design school or does it offer other courses. Is this school well-known for its emphasis on fashion design?

Fashion design schools are few and far between. This makes it harder to choose one that fits your bill. Your first task will be to find a reputable school that will aid you in your training.

Also, look into whether the school participates in any fashion design competition or has accomplished anything of reknown in the industry. This is a sure sign of their commitment to the fashion arts its education among students.

Different schools have different strengths, find a school that plays to your strengths and has specialization in the field of your choice.

For example, you might choose a very well-know fashion design school only to find out that they specialize in childrens’ clothing, while the field of your choice is adult formal wear. This could diffuse your interests, and dull your specialization.

Make sure you know what field the school you are scouting focuses on. This will help you specialize in that area too.

Alumni and Job Placements

Does the college offer job placement assistance? And has the alumni from this school gone on to be successful professionals? Always learn from other’s previous experience. If you see that those that had gone through this school before you received proper training and are successful in their field, that is an indication of a good school.

Most of these reputable schools have numerous connections in the graphic arts industry. They usually offer job placement services. You may want to consider this when choosing a school.

It would do no harm to start looking at the educational background of your admired fashion designer. Checking out the schools they came from will give an idea of the sort of training these artists went through. From here, you may make decisions as to whether you would like to choose the same school as they did.

Curriculum

You must assess whether the curriculum is relevant to you field of study. You may want to compare the curricula of different schools to see which offers the best form of education.

It would also be wise to check the quality of the teaching staff at that school. Having established artists who teach at a fashion design school is also an indication of a good training program.

Student to Teacher Ratio

Ask yourself: how big are the classes and how many teachers and classes are available at this school before you choose it. The more the students the lesser the efficacy of the teacher. However, if there are too few students per teacher, that could tell of a different problem – that of quality. If this is the case, it may be that the school is not popular or is suffering from anemic academic performance.

Accreditation

Accreditation means the school has passed a certain standards of educational quality. Accreditation is performed by the U.S. Department of Education. Fashion design schools must be accredited to prove their level of competence.

Check with the State Postsecondary School Licensing Bureau to see if the college you are investigating is accredited. Also, check National Approval and Accreditation for this concern.

Cost

Some people may proclaim that to obtain their education, they would spare no coin. Unfortunately, it also pays to be practical in your choice of fashion design school. If the school you choose has a tuition rate that is beyond your financial capability, you might find yourself working unable to pursue your studies consistently due to the financial stress which may lead you to look for part-time work.

Scholarships

You might want to consider whether the design school you are looking at offers any scholarships. You also might want to know the terms to them too. Some schools offer scholarships based on academic performance. Some offer them based on fashion design competitions they hold regularly.

Your choice of school is an investment that will last you a lifetime. Proper care and investigation in choosing such is truly important. When you are comfortable with your choice of fashion design schools, you can now chart your path towards a successful career.

By John Morris
Photo by teamsugar.com

Juicy Couture hires hip designer Erin Fetherston

Juicy Couture hires hip designer Erin Fetherston: The New York-based designer has been appointed creative consultant of the brand famed for its velour tracksuits.

Juicy Couture, the American clothing label that made tracksuits sexy, has hired the hip, New York-based designer, Erin Fetherston as its creative consultant and guest designer.

One of Fetherston’s first projects will be to reinvent the label’s iconic low-slung, drawstring trackie-pants and zippered, hooded top, which came in pastel-toned velour, fleece or cashmere, and even drew Madonna as a fan. The tracksuit celebrates its 10th birthday next year.

Fetherston, a tall, model-like blonde, who grew up in California, graduated with a BA from Berkeley, and then headed for France, where she studied fashion for three years at Parsons School of Design Paris She launched her own line there in January 2005, before relocating to New York, where she is regarded as one of the city’s bright young stars.

Championed by the photographer Ellen Von Unwerth, the celebrity crowd who love her naughty-but-nice, boudoir-romantic signature, in organza and chiffon, include Kirsten Dunst, Cameron Diaz, Winona Ryder, Zooey Deschanel, and Anne Hathaway.

Fetherston, who will continue to work on her own collections, will begin her collaboration with Juicy Couture next month and will be working with the team on the resort 2011 collections, and introducing a few "limited edition" pieces.

“We are delighted to partner with Erin Fetherston,” said Edgar Huber, president of Juicy Couture. “Not only is she a gifted designer with technical knowledge of fashion craftsmanship, but she has the California roots, trendsetting approach, and individual sense of style to make her an ideal partner for Juicy Couture. I’m confident that her vision will resonate with the millions of Juicy Couture fans across the globe.”

“This is an incredible opportunity,” said Fetherston. “It’s very impressive that Juicy Couture has become a global brand in such a short period of time. I’ve always related to its fun-loving and modern spirit and its distinct design point of view.”

Juicy Couture was founded by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor, the wife of Duran Duran’s John Taylor. Although initially famous for its tracksuits, which ultimately became a celebrity uniform, the brand has evolved and produces a full range of clothing and accessories, as well as perfumes. The company is now owned by Liz Claiborne. Its London store opened on Bruton Street, in the West End, last October.

Most Expensive Wedding Dress - Fashion Designer Cosmina Englizian

Designer Cosmina Englizian entered the Book of Records – Guinness World Records for achieving the most expensive wedding dress with over 59.000 Swarovsky crystals..

Bianca Elena Constantin, Romania Miss Universe 2009, was the undeniable star of the E-Mariage Wedding Fair, which was chosen to wear a wedding dress that is worth no less than 30,000 euros.

The dress is encrusted with 42,000 Swarovski crystals and entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most expensive wedding dress in the world. Cosmina Englizian, creatoarea preţiosului obiect vestimentar, a ales-o pe Bianca Elena Constantin să poarte această rochie după ce a văzut-o în catalogul de mireasă al brandului american Alexia Designs. Cosmina Englizian, fashion designer precious object, the Bianca Elena chose to wear this dress Constantine after he saw the bride catalog Alexia Designs American brand.

Contractul Biancăi cu renumita casă de rochii de mireasă americană a început în 2009, imediat după participarea la concursul Miss Universe. Bianca contract with renowned American wedding dress house began in 2009, soon after attending the Miss Universe contest. Anul acesta Bianca a devenit modelul preferat şi al tîrgurilor de nunţi din străinătate, participînd la Harrogate, Marea Britanie - cel mai mare eveniment de acest gen din Europa - şi Chicago Bridal Show din Statele Unite. This year Bianca has become the preferred model for weddings and fairs abroad, participating in Harrogate, United Kingdom -

the largest event of its kind in Europe - and Chicago Bridal Show from the United States. În viitorul apropiat, Bianca Elena Constantin va călători în Asia, unde se va ocupa de promovarea brandului Alexia Designs. In the near future, Bianca Elena Constantine will travel to Asia, which will handle brand promotion Alexia Designs. Ea va fi protagonista unor prezentări de modă de mare anvergură ce se vor desfăşura în

Hong Kong şi Shanghai. It will be the protagonist of large-scale fashion shows that will be held in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Anul acesta, Bianca va înmîna titlul de Miss Universe România 2010 următoarei cîştigătoare a concursului, a cărui preselecţie se desfăşoară pe site-ul www.missuniverseromania.com. This year, Bianca Romania handed the title of Miss Universe 2010 winning the next contest, whose selection takes place on site www.missuniverseromania.com.

Women's fashionable shoes - High heeled shoes

In the upcoming spring, females again fall upon hard times in choosing appropriate and fashionable shoes which go well with clothes and trousers. Truly, every person wants a pair of sassy shoes and makes ourselves dressed smartly and comfortably at any important circumstances.

Who says that fashion is a showy but useless? Boots in fashion this year is to take full account of the warmth factor, transforming past fancy style into practical super above-knees pants boots. Concise style in close to thigh length, and thick leather fabric increases warmth degrees.  Warm fluff which covers both inside and outside, solid rivets and layers of bandages and other intimate details of the decoration will surely keep your beautiful legs away from the cold intrusion.

Besides, designers have adopted a classic style with various real-wear features. There is no superfluous decoration on boots and they only spare no efforts to the length, make it quite charismatic by echoes thigh length style with the hollow cut.

Now that we talk about shoes, we might as well cast our eyes on the “Keefe”. It seems that people have rarely or even never heard of shoes, “Keefe”. But as a matter of fact, the Keefe is right this season’s interesting features of shoes. For convenience sake, we can call them   Leggings or Socks.

Fashion designers such as Issey Miyake, Prada, and Victor & Rolf all offer available Leggings that can be separated which can set off to advantage the short boots by making a sense of long boots in this upcoming fashion trend. There are some forms of socks, such as Betty Jackson’s transparent socks which create an interesting multi-layered effect for the legs. And Sportmax is a multi-layer effect of movement.

On top of that, the position of high heels can never be underrated. High heels show will never end or vanish in women’s fashion sense, but those beautiful shoes are always making people hang back because it is too difficult to wear for most beauty lovers.