What does an apparel designer do?
Apparel designers, also known as clothing or fashion designers, conceptualize and produce items of clothing. They frequently specialize in one type of design, like active, casual, or evening wear. Typical duties include monitoring current fashion trends and forecast future ones, sketching new designs, choosing patterns and fabrics to utilize in garments, and supervising production. They may present items to creative directors, clients, or retailers to determine if the garments are to be conventionally designed or mass-produced.
Apparel designer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real apparel designer resumes:
- Develop marketing and brand awareness initiatives through social media outlets; create and manage company Facebook and Houzz profiles.
- Create detailed conceptual and sketch presentations for senior management seasonally.
- Prepare PowerPoint documents for client presentation that include furniture and material selections.
- Select NYC print studios to handle outsource design projects and monitor progress to ensure work are completed on deadline.
- Design Missy sweater line for domestic sweater manufacturer.
Apparel designer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Apparel Designers are proficient in Adobe Illustrator, Tech Packs, and Sketch. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Communication skills, and Artistic ability.
We break down the percentage of Apparel Designers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Adobe Illustrator, 10%
Use working knowledge of Excel and Adobe Illustrator for various projects.
- Tech Packs, 8%
Supported the teams with developing seasonal collections, color/concept stories, CAD development and PLM tech packs.
- Sketch, 6%
Created detailed conceptual and sketch presentations for senior management seasonally.
- Apparel Design, 6%
Manage design-specific projects with current Apparel Design Apprentice.
- Technical Design, 5%
Coordinated technical designers to achieve an improved garment construction with specifications.
- PLM, 5%
Aided in training design teams on company-wide roll-out of new product management system (FLEX PLM).
Most apparel designers use their skills in "adobe illustrator," "tech packs," and "sketch" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential apparel designer responsibilities here:
Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for an apparel designer to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "fashion designers must have a good eye for small differences in color and other details that can make a design successful." Additionally, an apparel designer resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "develop spec-sheets, embroidery layout, and detail sheets for all designs. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform apparel designer duties is communication skills. Apparel designers responsibilities require that "throughout the design process, fashion designers must be able to communicate effectively." Apparel designers also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "maintain constant communication with the sales team to organize the buys and development of the apparel line. "
Artistic ability. This is an important skill for apparel designers to perform their duties. For an example of how apparel designer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "fashion designers sketch their initial design ideas, which are used to create prototypes." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an apparel designer: "created color story boards skills used adobe illustrator & photoshop microsoft programs styling trend research & forecasting great eye for color artistic".
Computer skills. apparel designer responsibilities often require "computer skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "fashion designers must be able to use computer-aided design (cad) programs and be familiar with graphics editing software." This resume example shows what apparel designers do with computer skills on a typical day: "sketched and used computer aided design for new line of uniforms. "
Creativity. Another crucial skill for an apparel designer to carry out their responsibilities is "creativity." A big part of what apparel designers relies on this skill, since "fashion designers work with a variety of fabrics, shapes, and colors." How this skill relates to apparel designer duties can be seen in an example from an apparel designer resume snippet: "work closely with product development and creative team on calendar to ensure deadlines are met. "
The three companies that hire the most apparel designers are:
- Nike5 apparel designers jobs
- Under Armour4 apparel designers jobs
- DICK'S Sporting Goods2 apparel designers jobs
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Compare different apparel designers
Apparel designer vs. Graphic artist
A graphic artist is either an illustrator or an animator who creates art work that will be used in graphic projects such as advertisements, posters, or even book covers. Although a graphic artist has his/her own style of artwork, he/she may be often commissioned to create art specifically for a particular project. A graphic artist may work with a graphic designer in order to convey the overall message of a project. The portfolio of a graphic artist includes cartoons, illustrations, and graphic novels.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, apparel designer responsibilities require skills like "tech packs," "sketch," "apparel design," and "technical design." Meanwhile a typical graphic artist has skills in areas such as "graphic design," "photography," "brochures," and "adobe creative suite." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Graphic artists earn the highest salaries when working in the non profits industry, with an average yearly salary of $68,382. On the other hand, apparel designers are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $75,729.graphic artists tend to reach similar levels of education than apparel designers. In fact, graphic artists are 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Apparel designer vs. Graphics specialist
A graphics specialist is an expert at conceptualizing and developing visual art for businesses or individuals, typically for marketing or information purposes. Moreover, there are also opportunities for employment in the web and media industry. As a graphics specialist, their responsibilities include liaising with clients to identify their needs, understanding the purpose and message of the project, developing proposals, coordinating with team members, and conducting revisions as needed, all while adhering to the goals and deadlines set by the client or management.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that apparel designer responsibilities requires skills like "tech packs," "sketch," "apparel design," and "technical design." But a graphics specialist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "graphic design," "adobe indesign," "adobe creative suite," and "visualization."
On average, graphics specialists earn a lower salary than apparel designers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, graphics specialists earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $67,322. Whereas apparel designers have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $75,729.graphics specialists earn similar levels of education than apparel designers in general. They're 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Apparel designer vs. Visual merchandiser
A visual merchandiser is responsible for arranging product displays at retail outlets, attracting customers to purchase the items. Visual merchandisers should be updated with the latest trends in the market to prioritize retail displays and floor plans. They must also be knowledgeable on product information to assist customers with their inquiries and concerns. Visual merchandisers should be creative in setting up the uniformity of the store's visuals within the budget goals. The designs must be appealing enough to drive the customers around the premises, potentially generating revenues and increasing profitability.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from apparel designer resumes include skills like "adobe illustrator," "tech packs," "sketch," and "apparel design," whereas a visual merchandiser is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "ladders," "sales floor," and "store management. "
Visual merchandisers earn the best pay in the retail industry, where they command an average salary of $37,869. Apparel designers earn the highest pay from the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $75,729.When it comes to education, visual merchandisers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to apparel designers. In fact, they're 1.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Apparel designer vs. Graphic design assistant
Graphic Design Assistants help graphic designers in creating art, fulfilling orders, and managing the studio. They may be budding graphic designers looking for industry experience or creative professionals interested in getting into the graphic designing industry. They should be familiar with the different tools and concepts involved in graphic design. Graphic Design Assistants help lead graphic designers to complete different activities. They may assist by lining, coloring, rendering, and adding finishing touches to the designs. They may also be in charge of packaging physical art and booking shipments to buyers. Graphic Design Assistants should be able to showcase their creative prowess. They are welcome to pitch in designs, critique art, and provide input.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between apparel designers and graphic design assistants, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an apparel designer might have more use for skills like "apparel design," "technical design," "plm," and "product development." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of graphic design assistants require skills like "graphic design," "customer service," "photography," and "adobe creative suite. "
In general, graphic design assistants earn the most working in the finance industry, with an average salary of $57,595. The highest-paying industry for an apparel designer is the manufacturing industry.graphic design assistants reach similar levels of education compared to apparel designers, in general. The difference is that they're 0.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of apparel designer
Updated January 8, 2025
