Make a list of companies or brands that sell fashion. Find out what country they are from. Also write what type of fashion each company makes. These are called "fashion categories". Some examples of categories are: footwear, accessories, junior wear, career wear. Decide what category interests you the most. Next start a style file or portfolio with pictures of that type of fashion. If you want to add sketches, that will only add to your notebook. Also make a list of companies or brands in that category, as well as your most favourite and inspirational designers. My favourite fashion designer is Gianfranco Ferre.
Keep fashion inspiration. Buy a simple cork board and paste, pin and tack inspirational fashion pictures on it. Put it up somewhere where you will constantly see it, like your bedroom or a 'studio room' if you're that keen on fashion design and have one. Buy some folders and file fashion magazine clippings or computer print outs in it. Subscribe to fashion magazines like Vogue or Teen Vogue and stay on top of the latest trends. Keep a little book of fashion cuttings in your bag or purse. If you're constantly surrounded by fashion inspiration, the ideas will come flooding in. But remember - don't ever copy a fashion piece. Just be inspired to create your own.
Take an art class in drawing and sketching. Learn to draw drapery, to understand the flow of fabric (how it drapes). You'll start to notice the dark areas in the folds, and the lighter highlighed areas. If you can find a class that draws people or "life drawing", take that too. If you can't draw real people, start drawing from photos. Use tracing paper to trace over the pictures of fashion models. Then slim then even more and elongate them for dramatic effect. Also learn about colour, and mixing colour. Know what colours look good together and how colour groups are assembled. Focus on drawing actual fashions, and perfecting drawing bodies.
Get a mannequin that you can pin fabric on, or drape to make designs to see how they would fit a body. Draping is another word for covering, dressing, or hanging cloth in loose folds. You can learn about this in a sewing class, or through a fashion school or program.
Learn to sew clothes. Take a sewing or dressmaking class. Study the patterns and become familiar with sewing pattern shapes. Sew for real people (like family and friends) so that you get familiar with body shapes and fit. Also learn about fabric. Know what fabrics are made from (silk? wool? cotton?) and how they are woven (velvet, twill, satin). And know which types of fabrics are best for your design (stiff fabric, drapey fabric, sheer fabric, etc)
Learn about fashion trends. Visit web sites such as pantone.com to see what colours are going to be in fashion. Also try to predict what fashion will be popular in the future. Check out sites like elle.com or style.com
Learn how fashion is sold. Is it being sold in stores or online? What are the major department stores? What stores sell the category of fashion you are interested in? Also learn about "targeting your customer base". This means knowing the type of person who will buy your fashions.
Seek an internship. Ask your teacher or instructor about this, an internship in Paris or a at design house in NYC would be a fantastic opportunity.
Sketch and design. Start at home by sketching down some of your clothing ideas on a piece of paper and keep them in a special folder or sketch pad. Keep editing it until it's just right and explore with colours. USE YOUR IMAGINATION, SKETCH DAILY and watch 'PROJECT RUNWAY'!
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