Fashion Design Schools in Idaho

A career in fashion design, apparel, and merchandising is a foot-hold on excitement! The fashion industry is fast paced: yesterday’s “hot” designs are today’s has-beens. If you seek a career in a fast-moving industry in which you can utilize your artistic and creative side, and you are willing to work hard and learn as you work, a career in fashion design in Idaho may be a great career option for you! Use our directory of beauty schools in your area to learn more!

State License Requirements

You don’t need a specific license to work as a fashion designer, but it may be helpful to join one of the many organizations devoted to enhancing the field and the people who work in it.

Education Details

Fashion design is offered as part of a major in Clothing, Textiles, and Design at the University of Idaho.

The curriculum for this major focuses on

• Textile and apparel products
• Merchandising and marketing strategies
• Technical and creative design
• Product development and production processes
• Business practices

It prepares students for a wide range of careers in the fashion industry including merchandising, design, buying, and historic restoration of fabrics. Other fashion design programs are available, but all the rest are located outside of the state of Idaho. Parsons School of Design and Fashion Institute of Technology are two major universities which offer fashion design majors. They are located in New York City. There are also several schools offering fashion design majors in California.

License Renewal

Idaho Fashion Design Careers

Fashion designers in Idaho earn a median salary of $64,030 according to O*Net (2016) Of course, your salary will depend upon many factors, including how long you have been out of school, and the specific nature of your job in the fashion industry. However, fresh ideas are always welcome in an industry that is geared toward tomorrow, making it possible for talented individuals coming out of fashion design programs to find jobs in the industry, and for those who are already in it to move up.

Fashion designers work long hours and busy weeks. They must be able to perform many different tasks within a day, such as meet and consult with clients, make sketches and designs, cut patterns, sew, drape, and fit. One way to get a start in the fashion design field is by working as a personal shopper/stylist in a department store, shopping the store for items that will both intrigue and flatter a specific client. Good listening skills are critical for fashion designers. Others work as merchandisers, arranging inventory in artistic ways that entice the customer to buy. Still others travel the world as buyers, selecting the styles they will have made up to sell in their store to their consumers. Or, you may get your start in business as an assistant to an established fashion designer. Boise Idaho has sponsored Boise Fashion Week since 2012. It features an array of different designers, clothes for casual, business, and dress wear, and a series of runway events. A great event for Idaho fashionistas!

Contact the Idaho State Board of Fashion Design