Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Fashion designer to clothing fashion designer

A fashion designer already meets 22% of what the clothing fashion designer role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From fashion designer
22 % overlap
Distant match
To clothing fashion designer
8 You already bring
7 Still to learn
55 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance A rebuild

79.2/ 100

1 How much of what a clothing fashion designer is expected to do is already part of a fashion designer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the clothing fashion designer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A clothing fashion designer role treats 5 of its required skills as things a fashion designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • design wearing apparel
  • keep up to date on costume design
  • portfolio management in textile manufacturing
  • produce textile designs
  • properties of textile materials

What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A clothing fashion designer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a fashion designer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held design wearing apparel communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held modify textile designs communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held produce textile designs communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held keep up to date on costume design information skills
  • already held history of fashion arts and humanities
  • already held portfolio management in textile manufacturing engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 8 carried skills, including the 5 the clothing fashion designer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 47 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 5 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn create mood boards required
  • still to learn create technical sketches for footwear required
  • still to learn develop design concept required
  • still to learn draw sketches to develop textile articles required
  • still to learn draw up costume sketches required
  • optional, not held analyse clothing 3d prototypes optional
  • optional, not held define specifications for clothing optional
  • optional, not held make technical drawings of fashion pieces optional
  • optional, not held prepare production prototypes optional
02 handling and moving 1 required, 8 supplementary
  • still to learn alter wearing apparel required
  • optional, not held create patterns for garments optional
  • optional, not held cut fabrics optional
  • optional, not held draw up costume patterns optional
  • optional, not held embroider fabrics optional
  • optional, not held manufacture wearing apparel products optional
  • optional, not held select design elements optional
  • optional, not held sew textile-based articles optional
  • optional, not held grade patterns for wearing apparel optional
03 information skills 1 required, 8 supplementary
  • still to learn manage briefs for clothing manufacturing required
  • optional, not held analyse costume sketches optional
  • optional, not held analyse scanned data of the body optional
  • optional, not held apply fashion trends to footwear and leather goods optional
  • optional, not held distinguish fabrics optional
  • optional, not held examine sample garments optional
  • optional, not held inspect wearing apparel products optional
  • optional, not held analyse supply chain strategies optional
  • optional, not held evaluate garment quality optional
04 engineering, manufacturing and construction 7 supplementary
  • optional, not held CAD for garment manufacturing optional
  • optional, not held apparel manufacturing technology optional
  • optional, not held e-tailoring optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of children clothing optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of made-up textile articles optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of wearing apparel optional
  • optional, not held standard sizing systems for clothing optional
05 working with machinery and specialised equipment 7 supplementary
  • optional, not held decorate textile articles optional
  • optional, not held manufacture personal protective equipment made of textile optional
  • optional, not held operate garment manufacturing machines optional
  • optional, not held pleat fabrics optional
  • optional, not held use 3D scanners for clothing optional
  • optional, not held perform process control in the wearing apparel industry optional
  • optional, not held sew pieces of fabric optional
06 arts and humanities 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held fabric spreading in the fashion industry optional
  • optional, not held marker making optional

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a clothing fashion designer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 8 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held design wearing apparel skill
  • already held keep up to date on costume design skill
  • already held portfolio management in textile manufacturing knowledge
  • already held produce textile designs skill
  • already held properties of textile materials knowledge
  • already held history of fashion knowledge
  • already held modify textile designs skill
  • already held use textile technique for hand-made products skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 working with computers 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held draw sketches to develop textile articles using softwares optional
  • optional, not held operate computerised control systems optional
08 health and welfare 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held 3D body scanning technologies optional
09 management skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held coordinate manufacturing production activities optional
40 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held analyse clothing 3d prototypes optional
  • optional, not held analyse costume sketches optional
  • optional, not held 3D body scanning technologies optional
  • optional, not held CAD for garment manufacturing optional
  • optional, not held analyse scanned data of the body optional
  • optional, not held apparel manufacturing technology optional
  • optional, not held apply fashion trends to footwear and leather goods optional
  • optional, not held create patterns for garments optional
  • optional, not held cut fabrics optional
  • optional, not held decorate textile articles optional
  • optional, not held define specifications for clothing optional
  • optional, not held distinguish fabrics optional
  • optional, not held draw sketches to develop textile articles using softwares optional
  • optional, not held draw up costume patterns optional
  • optional, not held e-tailoring optional
  • optional, not held embroider fabrics optional
  • optional, not held examine sample garments optional
  • optional, not held fabric spreading in the fashion industry optional
  • optional, not held inspect wearing apparel products optional
  • optional, not held manufacture personal protective equipment made of textile optional
  • optional, not held manufacture wearing apparel products optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of children clothing optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of made-up textile articles optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of wearing apparel optional
  • optional, not held marker making optional
  • optional, not held operate garment manufacturing machines optional
  • optional, not held pleat fabrics optional
  • optional, not held select design elements optional
  • optional, not held sew textile-based articles optional
  • optional, not held standard sizing systems for clothing optional
  • optional, not held use 3D scanners for clothing optional
  • optional, not held analyse supply chain strategies optional
  • optional, not held coordinate manufacturing production activities optional
  • optional, not held evaluate garment quality optional
  • optional, not held grade patterns for wearing apparel optional
  • optional, not held make technical drawings of fashion pieces optional
  • optional, not held operate computerised control systems optional
  • optional, not held perform process control in the wearing apparel industry optional
  • optional, not held prepare production prototypes optional
  • optional, not held sew pieces of fabric optional
13 held skills the clothing fashion designer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role art history knowledge
  • not needed by the target role collaborate with a technical staff in artistic productions skill
  • not needed by the target role collaborate with designers skill
  • not needed by the target role develop design ideas cooperatively skill
  • not needed by the target role dyeing technology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role gather reference materials for artwork skill
  • not needed by the target role identify target markets for designs skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor developments in technology used for design skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor textile manufacturing developments skill
  • not needed by the target role produce textile samples skill
  • not needed by the target role seek innovation in current practices skill
  • not needed by the target role textile techniques knowledge
  • not needed by the target role use specialised design software skill
10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held 3D body scanning technologies optional
  • optional, not held CAD for garment manufacturing optional
  • optional, not held apparel manufacturing technology optional
  • optional, not held e-tailoring optional
  • optional, not held fabric spreading in the fashion industry optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of children clothing optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of made-up textile articles optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of wearing apparel optional
  • optional, not held marker making optional
  • optional, not held standard sizing systems for clothing optional
Index

Other moves recorded from fashion designer

Full index of moves from fashion designer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a fashion designer become a clothing fashion designer?

Yes, and it is a career change move. A fashion designer already covers 22% of what a clothing fashion designer is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 5 of which the clothing fashion designer role treats as required.

What skills does a fashion designer need to become a clothing fashion designer?

7 required skills are missing, plus 40 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is alter wearing apparel.

How hard is the move from fashion designer to clothing fashion designer?

Its learning distance is 79.2 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.