Careers in Fashion: Trend Forecasting and Textile Design

Learn the best routes for a career in the primary level of fashion

When people consider careers in fashion, they often forget about the primary level of the industry where fashion products begin.

On this four-week course from Bloomsbury Academic, you’ll look at the beginning of fashion product conception and production, and explore the roles that supply the information, components, production, and support needed to manufacture fashion products to bring them to the retailers.

Discover the realm of fashion trend forecasting

Fashion products often require weeks, months, or even years of lead time for the intricate planning, purchasing, and production steps.

You’ll start this course by delving into the many roles involved in fashion forecasting as well as the sources of information that these forecasters use. You’ll then finish by exploring the career path and job market for trend forecasters.

Explore the many roles within textile design and development

There are designers and design houses who have made their places in fashion history with their textile designs, and there are many creative forces behind each of those designs.

You’ll explore the differences between textile roles such as designer, stylist, and colorist, as well as the technicians and engineers. For each position, you’ll look at what they do, the qualifications needed for the role, and the challenges involved in that particular career.

Delve into production and sales careers to get hands-on with fashion products

Whether construction, manufacturing, numbers, computers, or creativity appeals to you, there is a career path in production that relates directly to each area.

The final week of this course will take you through the expansive area of production and sales, exploring the many careers in this field and how you can best approach a career path for your chosen role.

This course is designed for anyone thinking about a career in the fashion industry, especially one in the inspiration and conception area of fashion.

• Trend forecasting
• Course welcome
• The job of a trend forecaster
• The career path of a trend forecaster
• Week wrap up
• Textile design and development
• Weekly welcome
• Directors, designers, stylists and colorists
• Technicians, engineers, resources and accounts
• Companies employing textile designers and product developers
• Week wrap up
• Sourcing
• Weekly welcome
• Planners and buyers
• Sourcing, merchandising and importing
• Licensing
• Week wrap up
• Production and sales
• Weekly welcome
• Products and production
• Fabric
• Sales
• Merchandising, sustainability and transparency
• Course wrap up