Post job

Fashion designer vs fashion director

The differences between fashion designers and fashion directors 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 director. Additionally, a fashion director has an average salary of $117,438, which is higher than the $54,265 average annual salary of a fashion designer.

The top three skills for a fashion designer include fashion design, sketch and apparel. The most important skills for a fashion director are photo shoots, editorials, and market trends.

Fashion designer vs fashion director overview

Fashion DesignerFashion Director
Yearly salary$54,265$117,438
Hourly rate$26.09$56.46
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs49,4769,325
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age3737
Years of experience66

Fashion designer vs fashion director salary

Fashion designers and fashion directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Fashion DesignerFashion Director
Average salary$54,265$117,438
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $78,000Between $60,000 And $229,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Diego, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaAlaska
Best paying companyRalph LaurenTink
Best paying industryRetail-

Differences between fashion designer and fashion director education

There are a few differences between a fashion designer and a fashion director in terms of educational background:

Fashion DesignerFashion Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorGraphic DesignSpecialized Sales And Merchandising
Most common collegeCornell UniversityStanford University

Fashion designer vs fashion director demographics

Here are the differences between fashion designers' and fashion directors' demographics:

Fashion DesignerFashion Director
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 17.3% Female, 82.7%Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage18%18%

Differences between fashion designer and fashion director duties and responsibilities

Fashion designer example responsibilities.

  • Customize technical packages with POM specifications, manage grading standards, assisting in costing the BOM, etc.
  • Manage and facilitate fittings and quick changes, organizing wardrobe, transferring and directing costumes to desire locations.
  • Develop marketing and brand awareness initiatives through social media outlets; create and manage company Facebook and Houzz profiles.
  • Create packages containing new design ideas, swatches of fabrics and embroideries, pictures, cad and presentations.
  • Key player in implementation of PLM system.
  • Design and develop a variety of apparel, including menswear and women's clothing, for various purposes and client types.
  • Show more

Fashion director example responsibilities.

  • Manage inventory of jewelry and supplies to ensure availability.
  • Provide creative copy direction and copywriting for pharmaceutical clients' internal corporate communications programs, training programs and sales force meetings.
  • Monitor checkout stations to ensure that they have adequate cash available and that they are staff appropriately.

Fashion designer vs fashion director skills

Common fashion designer skills
  • Fashion Design, 14%
  • Sketch, 12%
  • Apparel, 6%
  • Design Concepts, 5%
  • Adobe Illustrator, 5%
  • CAD, 4%
Common fashion director skills
  • Photo Shoots, 21%
  • Editorials, 10%
  • Market Trends, 8%
  • Gross Margin, 8%
  • NYC, 8%
  • Creative Concepts, 5%

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs