Pattern maker vs fashion designer

The differences between pattern makers and fashion designers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a pattern maker and a fashion designer. Additionally, a pattern maker has an average salary of $57,140, which is higher than the $54,265 average annual salary of a fashion designer.

The top three skills for a pattern maker include sketch, CAD and CNC. The most important skills for a fashion designer are fashion design, sketch, and apparel.

Pattern maker vs fashion designer overview

	Pattern Maker	Fashion Designer
Yearly salary	$57,140	$54,265
Hourly rate	$27.47	$26.09
Growth rate	-5%	3%
Number of jobs	7,387	49,476
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	47	37
Years of experience	6	6

Pattern maker vs fashion designer salary

Pattern makers and fashion designers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pattern Maker	Fashion Designer
Average salary	$57,140	$54,265
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $93,000	Between $37,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	Nevada
Best paying company	General Motors	Ralph Lauren
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between pattern maker and fashion designer education

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

	Pattern Maker	Fashion Designer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Graphic Design	Graphic Design
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Pattern maker vs fashion designer demographics

Here are the differences between pattern makers' and fashion designers' demographics:

	Pattern Maker	Fashion Designer
Average age	47	37
Gender ratio	Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8%	Male, 17.3% Female, 82.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 17.3% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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	11%	18%

Differences between pattern maker and fashion designer duties and responsibilities

Pattern maker example responsibilities.

Manage team processes and production of costumes with other pattern makers and technical designers to ensure deadlines are meet.
Design and create women's apparel production patterns including dresses, tops, pants, and jackets.
Knock offs, draping, and digitizing.
Work with Lesage embroidery and Lemarie feather supplier.
Plot markers stencils for contractor's cutting production.
Work with denim and twills for bottoms and jeans.

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.

Pattern maker vs fashion designer skills

Common pattern maker skills

Sketch, 22%
CAD, 9%
CNC, 9%
Blueprint Specifications, 6%
Tech Packs, 6%
Apparel, 5%

Common fashion designer skills

Fashion Design, 14%
Sketch, 12%
Apparel, 6%
Design Concepts, 5%
Adobe Illustrator, 5%
CAD, 4%