Marketing, financial and administrative skills in case of freelancers
Skills of Research and data handling capacity.
Successful designers of fabrics are not numerous. The majority of designs fail to meet popular approval, because many of the designs made are merely imitations of those already produced. The designer should be innovative in his approach of designing. It is not always necessary that only very intricate or elaborate designs appeal the consumers; simple designs may look attractive with creative experimentation in general methods of varying the designs. There are in general three methods used to vary the appearance of fabric; namely, variations in weave, in colour, and in finishing methods. So a designer must not only have in-depth knowledge of these methods but he/she should be able to explore the numerous possibilities of using them alone or in suitable combination with each other. So Construction, Colourand Finish of Cloth are the three key words for a fabric designer.
Nature of the work of textile designers There are two basic areas in textile designing:
Interiors or the home furnishings
Fabrics for clothing and other textile products
General work performed by textile designers A textile designer has to deal with a great range of duties and responsibilities. A textile designer is generally responsible for the following activities.
Liaising with clients and attracting them by proper planning and presentation
Briefing the initial design ideas and concepts to clients
Proper interpretation and representation of clients' ideas
Analysis and research works
Creating innovative design concepts and development of design
Utilizing specialized computer aided design software to create a great variety of designs
Experimentation with yarn, weave, colour, fabric and texture
Maintaining deadlines
Working within an agreed departmental budget
Attending trade shows regularly
Getting updated with contemporary trends in textile designs and fashion forecasts
Analyzing designs for forthcoming seasons and predicting prints and designs which will sell
Designing mood boards interpreting the key designs of the season
Developing and maintaining a network of business contacts
Work Options for textile designers
Textile designers primarily fall into two basic categories. They either work for design agencies, manufacturers or retailers as In-house designer or they work as Freelancers. The work options of textile designers include:
Participants