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Introduction to Careers in Fashion Design

Explore careers in the fashion industry and ensure you impress with a professional-standard portfolio of fashion design skills.

A model wearing a long red dress poses in front of a flower wall.

Introduction to Careers in Fashion Design

  • 3 weeks

  • 2 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Open level

Find out more about how to join this course

  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    2 hours
  • 100% online

    How it works
  • Unlimited subscription

    $244.99 for a whole yearLearn more

Learn the skills needed for a career in fashion design

Careers in the fashion industry are diverse and varied, but also extremely competitive.

On this three-week course, you’ll investigate fashion design jobs and develop the fundamental skills to excel in your chosen field.

Explore different jobs in fashion and plan your future career in the fashion industry

Fashion design incorporates many jobs, from garment cutter to fashion merchandiser.

On this course, you’ll be introduced to a range of different career paths. You’ll learn what each job entails and the skills you’ll need to possess.

With this knowledge, you’ll be able to identify key areas for personal development. This will give you a headstart when preparing for interviews and creating your own relevant portfolio of work.

Develop your fashion design skills from pattern making and draping to sewing techniques

To impress employers, you need to show a breadth of knowledge and skills within fashion design.

You’ll explore a variety of essential concepts including accurate measuring, fitting, and draping techniques, as well as developing your hand and machine sewing skills.

With these fundamental skills, you can demonstrate your ability to produce garments and explain fashion production processes.

Discover the research tools and techniques to create a fashion portfolio

The ability to research ideas and inspirations will help you create an exciting and diverse portfolio of work.

You’ll be guided through the research process and gain insight into working with and creating your own sketchbooks to showcase your ideas.

By the end of this course, you’ll understand how to establish a career within fashion design. You’ll have developed fundamental skills in fashion production and be able to create a portfolio that showcases your skills and talents.

What topics will you cover?

  • Week 1 - Research and design
  • Week 2 - Concept to prototype
  • Week 3 - Portfolio and professional practice

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Describe the research process and approaches to research in finding inspiration
  • Identify important techniques and practices used in creating a prototype
  • Identify the various professional careers and their roles in fashion design
  • Identify the function and best practices in creating a fashion design portfolio
  • Explain the role and uses of working with a toile in the design process

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone with an interest in fashion, particularly those considering a career in the fashion industry.

Who developed the course?

Bloomsbury Academic logo

Bloomsbury Publishing

Bloomsbury Publishing is a leading independent publishing house, established in 1986, with authors who have won the Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prizes.and is the originating publisher and custodian of the Harry Potter series. Bloomsbury has offices in London, New York, New Delhi, Oxford and Sydney. Within Bloomsbury’s Academic division, it publishes under Bloomsbury, as well as under a number of prestigious and historic imprint names.

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FutureLearn

FutureLearn is a leading social learning platform and has been providing high quality online courses for learners around the world over the last ten years.

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$79/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 26 Feb 2025

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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