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The differences between fashion designers and fashion assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a fashion designer and a fashion assistant. Additionally, a fashion designer has an average salary of $54,265, which is higher than the $49,812 average annual salary of a fashion assistant.
The top three skills for a fashion designer include fashion design, sketch and apparel. The most important skills for a fashion assistant are photo shoots, sales floor, and market research.
| Fashion Designer | Fashion Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $54,265 | $49,812 |
| Hourly rate | $26.09 | $23.95 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 49,476 | 2,420 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Fashion designers design and assist with the making of shoes, accessories, and clothing. They identify trends and styles, colors, and trims of a clothing collection. The designers keep an eye on travel shows and read fashion magazines to spot trends and interpret specific patterns, color palettes, and prints for each season. They sketch designs by hand, address buyers as a seasoned marketer, and create technical production drawings. It is part of their responsibilities to collaborate with team members to make edits to lines, select seasonal themes, and create new concepts.
A fashion assistant helps showcase clothes, accessories, and other products to customers and retailers. They also prepare fashion shows, photoshoots, and product launches. They handle public relations, communications with models, and marketing. They must be creative, spontaneous, outgoing, and willing to help realize a fashion designer's vision.
Fashion designers and fashion assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fashion Designer | Fashion Assistant | |
| Average salary | $54,265 | $49,812 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $78,000 | Between $37,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | - |
| Best paying company | Ralph Lauren | - |
| Best paying industry | Retail | - |
There are a few differences between a fashion designer and a fashion assistant in terms of educational background:
| Fashion Designer | Fashion Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between fashion designers' and fashion assistants' demographics:
| Fashion Designer | Fashion Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7% | Male, 18.9% Female, 81.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 11.6% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 11.6% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 18% | 18% |