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The differences between fashion designers and seamstresses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a fashion designer, becoming a seamstress takes usually requires 3-6 months. Additionally, a fashion designer has an average salary of $54,265, which is higher than the $33,724 average annual salary of a seamstress.
The top three skills for a fashion designer include fashion design, sketch and apparel. The most important skills for a seamstress are customer service, punctuality, and industrial sewing machines.
| Fashion Designer | Seamstress | |
| Yearly salary | $54,265 | $33,724 |
| Hourly rate | $26.09 | $16.21 |
| Growth rate | 3% | - |
| Number of jobs | 49,476 | 1,259 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 37 | 50 |
| 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 seamstress designs, repairs, and alters clothing as well as fashion accessories like hats and purses. Your duties and responsibilities may vary depending on your employer, including taking a customer's body measurements to fit clothes to their specifications, constructing garments specified by the customer, and advising customers on the appropriate types of patterns and fabrics that meet their needs. The skills and qualifications for this role include strong sewing skills, knowledge with design and fashion, and creativity.
Fashion designers and seamstresses have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Fashion Designer | Seamstress | |
| Average salary | $54,265 | $33,724 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $78,000 | Between $22,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Somerville, MA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Ralph Lauren | CoxHealth |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a fashion designer and a seamstress in terms of educational background:
| Fashion Designer | Seamstress | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Most common college | Cornell University | - |
Here are the differences between fashion designers' and seamstresses' demographics:
| Fashion Designer | Seamstress | |
| Average age | 37 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7% | Male, 5.8% Female, 94.2% |
| 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, 8.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 10.0% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 18% | 5% |