Fashion Design as a Hobby: 3 Tips to Get You Started (2024)

Fashion design is a hobby that many people have, but for those who are just starting out, figuring out how exactly to start this new hobby can be a difficult task. Make sure that you get the best start as a beginner fashion designer by paying close attention to and trying out some of these handy tips.

Invest in Good Quality Tools and Materials

The key to a good fashion designer lies in their self-confidence and skill – but good quality tools and materials won’t do any harm! When you’re just starting out in fashion design, it’s important that you get a good quality (although not overly expensive) sewing machine so that you can practice as much as you like and at your own leisure. Sewing machines are essential tools when it comes to fashion design, as they can do everything that hand sewing can do and more without getting tired. It will be near impossible to hand sew every single garment that you’re planning to make, so a good quality sewing machine is essential for any beginner.

If you’re making outfits to measure, then you need to ensure that you invest in a mannequin to make sure that they fit perfectly and sit correctly on the body. You can purchase mannequins that represent so many different female body types, so don’t feel like you won’t find the right one for you. If you’re looking for intricate designs engraved onto various textile fabric, you will need a laser engraving machine as well. With the most modern ones being very quick and easy to use, you can save a lot of production hard costs by not outsourcing this part of the design process.

Research Different Styles and Designs

If you want to try becoming a fashion designer, whether as a hobby or even as a career prospect, it is vitally important that you do your research into the different fashion styles and designs. A good place to start is by examining every era and seeing for yourself how fashion has evolved and resurfaced through time. This is especially useful because you can use this newfound information to develop your own style. For example, you may find something about 50s fashion that you absolutely love and want to incorporate into your own designs.

You should also consider researching recent trends in the fashion industry. This can be done in many different ways, such as reading and even studying fashion magazines to see if you can recognize any obvious trends. If you’re lucky enough to get and afford tickets, you can even attend fashion shows to see what is current and popular in high fashion. By doing all of this research, you will be able to find and influence your own personal fashion tastes and style and can begin designing clothing and accessories that you truly love.

Think About an End Goal

The way that you begin and conduct your fashion design hobby can completely depend on where you want this hobby to take you. For example, if you want to keep this strictly as a fun hobby, then you don’t need to research too much into the fashion business. However, if you want to progress your hobby into something more and make a career and living out of your fashion designing, then you need to make sure that you educate yourself into being business savvy. You’ll make many mistakes when setting up your own fashion business, especially if this is your first ever business, but make sure that you don’t let this put you off and keep persevering. Always remember – if your business doesn’t work out, you can always keep fashion design as a much-loved hobby, so don’t feel like you must give up your fashion love if your business doesn’t take off.

When you’re trying out any hobby for the first time, it can be confusing and difficult to find out how to start, but when it comes to the diverse and competitive world of fashion design, it can be even more difficult. Make sure that you follow these tips to ensure that you have the best possible start in fashion design and can excel at your new favorite hobby.