Fashion Design

Inspiration & Exploration

Fashion design is about more than clothes — it's about telling a story with fabric, color, and shape. Start by building a mood board: collect images from magazines, Pinterest, and Instagram that represent the aesthetic you're drawn to. Watch "The Story of Fashion" documentaries on YouTube to understand how design movements evolve. Visit the UMFA (Utah Museum of Fine Arts) in SLC, which occasionally features textile and fashion exhibits. Browse local thrift stores like Savers or Deseret Industries to see how different garments are constructed when you turn them inside out. You're ready for the next step when you have a mood board of at least 10 images and can name three fashion designers whose work excites you.

Tools & Techniques

Now learn the core tools of fashion design. You'll need a sketchbook, pencils, and colored markers or pencils to draw your ideas. Learn the fashion croquis — a stylized figure template designers use — by downloading free templates from FashionDesignWeekly.com or searching "free croquis template" on Pinterest. Practice sketching basic garment shapes: a t-shirt, a skirt, a jacket. On the technical side, learn the difference between woven and knit fabrics at a fabric store like JOANN. Watch free beginner sewing tutorials on YouTube from "Professor Pincushion" to understand how flat fabric becomes a 3D garment. You're ready for the next step when you can sketch five different garment types on a croquis figure and label their main fabric panels.

First Creations

Time to design and make something real! Start small: design and sew a simple tote bag, a pillowcase, or a basic skirt using a beginner pattern. Find free beginner sewing patterns at SewingPatterns.com or search Etsy for "free PDF sewing pattern." Cut your fabric carefully, pin pieces together before sewing, and press seams with an iron as you go — pressing is one of the most underrated steps in sewing. Don't worry if it isn't perfect; even professional designers make samples called "muslins" in cheap fabric first. You're ready for the next step when you've completed one sewn item that is wearable or usable and you understand how the pattern pieces fit together.

Style Development

Now develop your design voice. What kind of clothes do you want to make — structured and tailored, flowy and relaxed, bold and graphic? Sketch a small "mini-collection" of five coordinated pieces: they should share a color palette, a fabric mood, and a design theme. Look to Craft Lake City festival in SLC for inspiration from local makers who blend Utah landscapes with wearable art. Research a single trend — like "cottagecore" or "utilitarian minimalism" — and sketch how you'd interpret it in your own way. Try embellishing an existing thrift-store garment with your own details (buttons, patches, or dye). You're ready for the next step when you've sketched a cohesive five-piece mini-collection with a written description of the concept.

Refine Your Craft

It's time to tighten your skills on every level. Learn to read a commercial sewing pattern and its size chart accurately. Work on sewing straight, even seams and finishing raw edges cleanly with a zigzag stitch or serger. Try inserting a zipper — it's one of the most useful skills in garment sewing and much easier than it looks with YouTube guidance. Study basic fitting: learn what darts do and how to adjust a pattern for a better fit. Practice draping — pinning fabric directly on a dress form or yourself — to understand how fabric naturally wants to hang. You're ready for the next step when you can sew a garment from a commercial pattern with clean seams, finished edges, and no major fitting problems.

Portfolio Piece

Design and make your statement piece — the one garment that represents everything you've learned. Sketch it out, choose your fabric thoughtfully, and sew it with care. Document the process with photos at each stage: sketch, fabric, cut pieces, work-in-progress, and final garment. Style it for a photo shoot (even just with your phone and a friend) and share it on Instagram with #SLCfashion or submit to the Craft Lake City Maker Market application for future events. Write a short designer's note explaining your inspiration, your fabric choices, and what problem or story this garment represents. You're ready for the next step when your portfolio piece is photographed on a person and accompanied by a written designer's statement.