Fashion Design Schools in New York State

If you're interested in fashion design and you want to be one of the first people to know about new trends in the industry, New York may very well be one of the best states you can live in! After all, it's home to New York City, which City Lab reports is the second largest fashion city in the world.

State License Requirements

New York has one of the largest fashion industries in the United States. One of the benefits of working in this field is the fact that you do not need any license or certification to work as a fashion designer. However, you do need to impress employers with your portfolio and quality of work. Going through an undergraduate fashion design program may give you the experience you need to start working in this industry.

Education Details

To start a career in fashion design in New York, you'll likely need experience in design principles, sketching, sewing, and color theory. A fashion design program may give you the hands-on practice and book knowledge that you need. Some of the art classes you take may teach you how to draw for different body types and use different sketching techniques to show off a garment design.

Courses you may be required to take include

• Creative Technical Skills
• Drawing and Imaging
• Sketching for Fashion Design 

Other classes are meant to give you a thorough overview of fashion design principles and color theory. Classes that fall into this category include

• Modern Fashion Design
• History of Fashion Design
• Color Theory for Fashion

A major part of fashion design is knowing how to work with different types of fabric. Your curriculum may include Textiles for Fashion Design and Sewing Basics for Fashion Design. With courses like these, you can gain practical experience and build a solid knowledge of various clothing fabrics.

License Renewal

New York Fashion Design Careers

When you look at the job outlook for fashion designers in New York, you can see that it is a great place for this career. O*Net expects job openings in New York to increase by 5% through 2020. Fashion design salaries vary greatly in New York; a lot depends on what type of fashion design you do and how much experience you have. According to O*Net (2016), the average salary for a New York fashion designer is $68,440 per year. Joining a local fashion design group can help you learn about local events and find out about job openings. The Council of Fashion Designers of America is based in New York.

The fashion design community of New York is as varied and multifaceted as the thousands of designers that live in the state! Whether you work in men's, children's, or women's clothing, living in New York gives you direct access to a huge potential market. While you may start out in a lower position at a wholesaler, retailer, or clothing manufacturer, experience may allow you to work your way up the ladder to a senior design position. Proving yourself to your employer may permit you to take the lead on your own designs and have more creative input. Being part of the fashion design community in New York may require you to attend local events. Fashion changes quickly from season to season, and if you're not on top of new trends, you may fall behind. New York Fashion Week is one of the largest fashion events in New York, bringing together designers from different backgrounds and markets to showcase their new styles. Many up-and-coming fashion designers have found their niche in New York. Ji Oh, a fashion designer that finished up her training in New York and now resides in the area, has developed a clothing line that focuses on clean, structured styles that play with today's trends. Attending fashion school can give you the same freedom!

Contact the New York State Board of Fashion Design