A Fashion Designer at Work: Incredible Insights from Designer Kaushal Vishukumar Who Recently Filed for Trademark/Patent

Do you know what the functions of a fashion designer are? In this article, we show you all the tasks that these professionals can carry out and what job opportunities are available to them, as told by a renowned fashion designer from India, Kaushal Vishukumar. 

Kaushal’s story certainly remains a replete source of inspiration. Striving to become a designer amid limited support from his social circle, Kaushal was able to defy all odds on his road to success. As a matter of fact, he has filed trademark for his brand – (KV) Kaushal Vishu and his International Fashion Ustava (IFU), an event management company.

Today, Kaushal will take us on a rundown into the work of a fashion designer. Let’s go there!

Although these professionals can be very versatile (and, on the other hand, they can also specialize), in a simple way we could say that the functions of a fashion designer consist of devising, creating, developing (and, where appropriate, making) garments clothing and other fashion accessories, either in isolation or within the framework of a collection.

Therefore, some of the main tasks or specific functions that Kaushal points out:

• Define the stylistic or conceptual framework of a design line or a collection as a whole.
• Choose the different materials, fabrics, textures, and colors to use in production
• Create and design individual garments or accessories, including drawing and prototyping.
• Define the technical requirements and specifications that will be passed on to the production department.
• Supervise the manufacturing process of the garments or accessories, participating in quality control. In your case, you must propose the necessary corrections or adjustments and ensure that the final product meets your initial requirements.
• Participate in the processes of commercialization, marketing, advertising, and communication. To do this, you must ensure that you transmit the idea or concept that gives unity to the collection or that inspires the design of the garment in question.

“Whatever you’re training as a fashion designer, it is most common for stores to specialize in a certain branch of this profession. Therefore, although there may be off-road designers, almost always your own work experience, along with your personal preferences, will lead you to certain areas within the fashion sector. In this way, all this will condition the functions that you must finally develop, as well as your own salary as a fashion designer.” – Kaushal Vishukumar.

To cite some examples, you could specialize in one of these branches:

• Women’s clothing design
• Men’s clothing design
• Children’s clothing design
• Shoe design
• Accessories design
• Sportswear design

However, your tasks may be limited to certain specialized areas within fashion design, as Kaushal points out:

• Trend research or cool hunting, taking care of finding new directions in the fashion world, discovering design ideas from direct observation, etc.
• Supervision of production processes, ensuring the adequate practical expression of the designer’s ideas.
• Join the marketing or communication departments to design the marketing strategy for the designs.
• Practice clothing and style advice in film, television, theater, etc.
• Communication tasks and preparing fashion reviews, especially if you choose to combine design studies with journalism or audiovisual communication. For example, you could be in charge of writing chronicles on fashion catwalks, reports on designers, etc.

He further says, “if you want to dedicate yourself to this profession and develop the functions of a fashion designer, it would be interesting if your profile matched this description as much as possible:

• “Interest in the world of fashion, trends, and design.
• “Creative ability, imagination, and innovative spirit.
• “Artistic ability to capture design ideas (especially through freehand sketches, although not exclusively).
• “Technical ability to define the best way to transfer designs to your industrial production.
• “Ability to work as a team (and, eventually, to manage people, if the position requires it).
• “Commercial and marketing skills.
• “Attention to detail, flexibility, and capacity for self-organization.
• “Communicative ability to transmit creative ideas.
• “Knowledge of design software and other computer tools (Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.).”

In any case, as he has pointed out above, the required skills can change substantially depending on the type of position you end upholding. In any case, aspects such as creativity, communication skills, and the ability to work in a team will benefit you in any task you carry out within the field of fashion design.

In short, the functions of a fashion designer, contrary to what is sometimes thought, can cover a wide variety of tasks. Therefore, once you have completed your training, you should direct your career towards the area that is most interesting to you, and that best fits your professional profile. Without a doubt, this way, you can develop a higher quality job and have a more satisfactory working life.