If you’re considering becoming a fashion designer and are curious about how you can make money, this article is for you.
Even if fashion designers are such creative people, it can be tough to “make it” in the fashion world and it can take a lot of time – even years – before you are known in the industry. Until then you will need to figure out how to make money and earn a living.
So how do fashion designers make money?
There are a variety of ways in which fashion designers can bring in revenue from their creations and skills.
Some designers rely on traditional methods, such as selling clothing and accessories through stores or online retailers. Others choose to market their own line of products or work with licensing agreements to have their designs appear on other items. And then there are fashion shows, books, and blogs all of which can become sources of revenue.
In this article, we will explore seven different income sources that fashion designers can use to make money. So, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in the industry for years, read on to learn more!
How Do Fashion Designers Make Money?
Here are 7 strategies that you as a fashion designer can deploy to earn money:
- Design clothes for a fashion house or label
- Market and sell your own line of products
- License your designs to others
- Build and monetize a fashion blog
- Teach fashion design
- Offer personalized fashion services
- Work for a fashion magazine or fashion show
Let’s look at each of these in detail.
1. Design clothes for a fashion house or label
Working for a fashion house or label or designing clothes for them is one of the most popular ways fashion designers make money.
A lot of designers start their careers by working for a big fashion house. And many continue to work for them throughout their career. This is because it provides a steady income and some level of job security. It also allows them to build up a portfolio of work which can be helpful later on.
Fashion houses usually have their own in-house design teams. But they also work with freelance designers and so if you want to remain a freelance designer, this could still be an option for you.
2. Market and sell your own line of products
Another way that fashion designers make money is by selling their own line of products.
This can be anything from clothes to accessories to home decor. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be physical products – it could also be digital products like fashion illustrations or templates.
Selling your own line of products has several advantages. First of all, you have more control over the design and how it is marketed. Secondly, you get to keep a larger percentage of the profits.
The downside is that it can be a lot of work to get your own line off the ground. You will need to invest money in things like marketing and advertising. And you will need to put in the time to build up a customer base. And you will need to find a way to get your products manufactured.
3. License your designs to others
If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of selling your own products, you can always license your designs to other companies.
This means that you will give them the rights to use your designs on their products. In return, you will receive a royalty fee for every product that is sold.
The advantage of this arrangement is that it is relatively passive. Once you have licensed your designs, you don’t need to do anything else. The company will take care of everything else.
The downside is that you won’t make as much money per sale. But if you license your designs to enough companies, it can still be a very lucrative income stream.
4. Build and monetize a fashion blog
Fashion blogs are the rage today and as a fashion designer, you will be perfectly placed to start, build and monetize a fashion blog.
This can be a great way to get exposure for your work and build up a following. And if you do it right, you can make a good bit of money from advertising and sponsored posts. You can also sell products through your blog. These could be your own products or those of others where you get a commission on each sale.
Of course, it takes a lot of hard work to build a successful blog. But if you are passionate about fashion and have something unique to offer, it can be a great way to make a living.
5. Teach fashion design
If you want to share your knowledge and help others, you can always teach fashion design.
This can be done in a formal setting like a college or university. Or you could do it informally by offering online courses or workshops.
Teaching fashion design is a great way to make money. And it can be also very rewarding. You get to share your knowledge and help others achieve their dreams.
6. Offer personalized fashion services
You could also consider offering personalized fashion services.
This could involve anything from doing personal styling to creating custom-made clothes. For instance, you could partner with a wedding planner and offer custom-made wedding dresses or offer fashion services to an entire wedding party.
Or you could work with individuals who want to create a unique look for a special occasion.
You could also consider offering personalized fashion services in specialized types of fashion like sustainable fashion or vintage fashion.
The great thing about offering personalized fashion services is that the work can be very flexible. You can work as much or as little as you want. And you can usually set your own hours and rates.
7. Work for a fashion magazine or fashion show
Fashion magazines, as well as fashion shows, are always on the lookout for talented fashion designers.
Working for a fashion magazine or fashion show can be a great way to get your work seen by a large audience. And it can also be very lucrative.
Fashion magazines and fashion shows typically pay very well for top talent. And if you are successful, you could end up working with some of the biggest names in the industry.
Also, working for a fashion magazine or show doesn’t preclude you from pursuing any of the other money-making strategies we’ve listed above. You could just as easily do any of them and still work for a magazine or a show part-time.
Summary
If you’re considering becoming a fashion designer, it will be no wonder if you ask yourself – How do fashion designers make money?
After all, you wouldn’t want to venture into this profession unless you knew you could make money!
In this article, we reviewed 7 ways in which a fashion designer can make money. The most common of these are working for a fashion house or working for yourself.
Working for a fashion house or label is the least risky as this can be a steady job with a steady source of salaried income. Working for yourself can be exciting but fought with risk and it can take you a very long time to see success.
If you work for yourself, you could market and sell your own line of products or you could simply license out your designs and let someone else build the products in exchange for a commission.
You can also experiment with less traditional ways to earn money – you could start a fashion blog or even become a teacher. And fashion magazines and fashion shows are always on the lookout for talented fashion designers.
So, there you have it: the top 7 ways how fashion designers make money!