How to Acquire Major Skills to Become a Textile Designer

The field of designing, glamorous as it is, is more of a language than a style. It communicates to others the influences, story, and even emotions of the designer. Nowhere is this truer than in the case of textile designing. Simply with the help of colors, different prints, and patterns, textile designers can convey a story through their fabric designs. However, people often have a warped view of this profession, considering it to be a piece of cake. The truth is – successful textile designers need to possess a host of complex skills.

 

Skills Needed to Become a Textile Designer

The art of textile designing in and of itself may seem to be easy; however, the process is complex given that textile designers do not create fabric prints and patterns in isolation – they need to coordinate multiple facets of the textile manufacturing industry with market demands and current fashion trends.

Besides having a fine eye for color, pattern, and texture of a fabric, the following skills must be present in the designing arsenal of every textile designer of the future –

• Creativity and attention to details
• Technical expertise
• Research and data handling capacity
• Sound awareness of the textile industry
• Ability to use digital technology, especially Computer-Aided Design (CAD) packages
• Marketing skills, especially if one plans on being self-employed

 

Cracking the Tough Cookie of Textile Designing

When it comes to any designing field, a great place to start is to know where to start. Textile designing may seem like a hard nut to crack, but the kernel inside is sweet and rewarding. Aspirants can apply the following tips to pursue their dream of becoming a successful fabric or interior goods designer.

 

Tip #1 Acquiring Technical Expertise

Form and function, in unison, help in creating extraordinary designs that sell. Textile designing aspirants need to empower their creativity with the right technical knowledge. This means learning the basics of fabric design, understanding client briefs, addressing their unique needs, and working with like-minded creatives. This also means possessing knowledge of software like Illustrator and Photoshop, color and texture theory, composition and pattern genres, different types of textiles and their unique features, various techniques of printing like screen printing, batik, digital printing, and more.

The sure-proof way for design aspirants to become tech-savvy in the textile world is to pursue a post-graduation in fashion designing from reputed institutions like the Pearl Academy. Therein they can receive a 360-degree learning experience in textile designing – from the nuts and bolts to the bells and whistles.

 

Tip #2 Self-Education

Applying what has been taught is not just the easiest way to success, but also the only way to it. Besides, there could be additional stuff that can be best researched and decided by the aspirants themselves – their niche or the industry they wish to work in. Designers can choose to work either in the field of apparel fabric designing or interior goods designing; however, the demands for each are different. It is important to do online research, network with other aspirants and mentors for a clearer direction, visit the nearby textile market for a personal experience of different techniques, and most importantly, maintain a personal sketchbook to record the findings, take notes, and draw design inspirations. On consistent practice, excellence will become second nature.

                         

Tip #3 Gaining Hands-on Experience

Even watching other designers closely at work is no match for dealing with different textiles, their designing techniques, etc. first-hand. As such, textile designing aspirants must apply for internships, voluntary design projects, and grab hold of every opportunity they can find – One can never have too much of experience! An immersive and interactive session that offers the freedom to experiment, make mistakes, and start over is what is needed to go from flicker to burning flame.

 

The designing field is replete with scope; after all, one can never use up creativity. The opportunities are vast for textile designing aspirants – fabric analysts, fabric resource managers, embroidery designers, design consultants, and so much more. There is no wrong way to get into the textile industry – aspirants simply need to pursue their passion in the most sincere and passionate way that they can.