become a fashion designer

She took the hint, switched majors, and began taking fashion design courses at Virginia Marti College of Art and Design (Lakewood, OH). Now, with classes like tailoring, fashion illustration, and business law, Abbey's learning the crafts needed to become a fashion designer -- making suits and coats, illustrating her designs, and navigating the legal aspects of the industry. As anyone successful in fashion design careers will attest, fashion design degrees are instrumental in designing career success in this competitive industry.

Another way to set yourself apart if you want to become a fashion designer? Keep on top of opportunities for showing off your design skills, like Abbey did. Recently, she designed a dress for a contest held by the Duck brand duct tape company. Out of several fashion design students at her school, Abbey's dress design came in first. "It was the perfect opportunity to let my creativity run wild," she says. "When I started, I had a plain white dress. I wanted to do shooting stars, then I wanted to do watermelons -- I just wanted to get people's attention." And she certainly did. Her poker-themed prom dress, made entirely out of duct tape, caught the eye of the judges and won her an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City, as well as the opportunity to network with those who've made their mark within fashion design careers. Big city exposure is a good start if you want to become a fashion designer.

So are designer labels in the future for this aspiring fashionista? " Fashion design school is important to me -- more than anything else right now," says Abbey. "Once I graduate, I'd like to work for a designer, and what I'd really like is to start my own company."

"It's a risky industry, but the good thing is that you can be creative," she adds. "You have so many options for a job in this field -- everybody needs clothes."

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