Fashion Designers
Design clothing and accessories. Create original designs or adapt fashion trends.
Also called: Apparel and Accessories Designer · Apparel Designer · Costume Designer · Designer · Fashion Design Contractor · Fashion Designer
Median pay (national)
$80,690
$35,970–$169,620 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
20,910
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+2%
~2,300 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for fashion designers shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $169,620 versus $35,970 at the bottom 10% — 4.7x. The median of $80,690 leaves roughly 110% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +2% from 2024 to 2034 — about as fast as the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 2,300 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 23 states with released data, Tennessee pays the most for this role (median $142,500, +77% vs the national median), while Wisconsin sits lowest at $37,790 — a 277% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
- Writing
- Learning Strategies
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- 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.
- Identify target markets for designs, looking at factors such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status.
- Collaborate with other designers to coordinate special products and designs.
- Attend fashion shows and review garment magazines and manuals to gather information about fashion trends and consumer preferences.
- Purchase new or used clothing and accessory items as needed to complete designs.
- Visit textile showrooms to keep up-to-date on the latest fabrics.
Tools & technology
- Adobe Creative Cloud software
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Autodesk Revit
- JavaScript
- SAS
- Trimble SketchUp Pro
- Autodesk AutoCAD Design Suite
- Autodesk SketchBook Pro
- C-DESIGN Fashion
- CLO Virtual Fashion Marvelous Designer
- Computer aided design and drafting software CADD
Knowledge areas
- Design
- Computers and Electronics
- Production and Processing
- Sales and Marketing
- English Language
- Fine Arts
- Administration and Management
- Personnel and Human Resources