Also called: Apparel Designer, Clothing Designer
Creates the look of clothing, from sketches and mood boards to the final sample on a model.
You start with trend research and a wall of fabric swatches, then sketch a dozen versions of a jacket on a tablet. You fit a sample on a live model, pin where the shoulder should sit and argue (politely) with merchandising about price. Fashion week or a big retail meeting means very long days.
Huge spread: big-brand designers earn far more than small-label or freelance designers.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in fashion design is typical; a strong portfolio matters more than the school.
Ways in: 4-year college, 2-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Fashion Design, Apparel Design, Textile Design, Fine Arts.
Shrinking (about -2% over 10 years). BLS projects a small decline; competition is fierce and concentrated in New York and Los Angeles.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI image tools generate designs and mood boards in seconds, shrinking assistant jobs; strong original voices survive.
Classes: Art, Sewing or fashion CTE, Business class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1022.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.