I want to become a fashion designer.

Becoming a fashion designer?

• I am fourteen, and since Primary 5 (age 9) I have wanted to become a fashion designer really badly! I would say I have good drawing skills and my English has always been at Credit level. I was thinking of going to the ECA in Edinburgh but what I want to know is what qualifications I need to get in. p.s ive had 12 weeks of work experience at a sewing alteration shop, would this help?

• Answer:

  There's a lot more to fashion design than drawing well. The field is one in which you must be different, extremely good, or extremely innovative to really make a name for yourself. You can't just know fashion today, you have to know what fashion will be tomorrow and years from now. You'll also need to know the history of fashion and the technical side of the industry too. I would suggest when you are old enough to work full-time, you get an entry level job that will take you into the fashion world. If you sew (to design you'll need to know how) get a job sewing. You'll also want to learn the world of buying and see how buyers operate and what they want. This goes hand in hand with knowing what the fashion world will be up to years from now. Send some of your sketches to fashion schools. Sometimes they'll critique your sketches...I sent a bunch to Parson's School of Design when I was in high school and they sent me a letter and a critique of my ideas and designs! I was really surprised because I didn't expect to hear anything from them.