Career
Fashion designers
Design clothing and accessories.
$80,960
Median pay
+0.1%
Job growth, 2025–35
2,500
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Sketch rough and detailed drawings of apparel or accessories, and write specifications such as color schemes, construction, material types, and accessory requirements.
- Examine sample garments on and off models, modifying designs to achieve desired effects.
- Confer with sales and management executives or with clients to discuss design ideas.
- Select materials and production techniques to be used for products.
- Provide sample garments to agents and sales representatives, and arrange for showings of sample garments at sales meetings or fashion shows.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on creation & expression, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Sketch rough and detailed drawings of apparel or accessories, and write specifications such as color schemes, construction, material types, and accessory requirements.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Coordination.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $80,960 a year and 2,500 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Design and Applied ArtsSee the degree →
- TheatreSee the degree →
- Apparel and Textile ManufactureCIP 19.0902
- Textile ScienceCIP 19.0904
- Fashion and Fabric ConsultantCIP 19.0906
- Fashion/Apparel DesignCIP 50.0407
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers$62,750 · -15.0%
- Commercial and Industrial Designers$83,910 · +2.4%
- Craft Artists$46,080 · +2.0%
- Graphic Designers$62,960 · -1.7%
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers$41,640 · -8.8%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.