Learning how the incorporation of digital software provides new growth in the professional fashion industry
The use of digital software in the fashion design industry is powerful and everchanging. While allowing designers to use their creative freedom, digital software provides ease in the design process and a common denominator recognized by brands nationally and internationally.
Specific Digital Software Used
Apparel design software usage includes but is not limited to:
- Adobe Illustrator – Creating technical flat sketches, creating fashion sketches, and creating elements of a digital portfolio
- Adobe Photoshop – Creating elements of a digital portfolio
- Adobe Firefly – AI assisted fashion design
- Gerber – Creating digital renderings of flat patterns
- Procreate – Creating fashion sketches by hand
- Microsoft Excel – Creating technical packages (Tech Pack) for manufacturing
“In the Apparel Design and Manufacturing (ADM) program, students acquire their digital technology skills through a futureproof comprehensive curriculum to stay ahead of the industry needs,” said Mahendran Balasubramanian, Assistant Professor in the Department of Design at Texas Tech University. “Students also attain industry-readiness via digital skills on fashion design, technical flat design, Tech- Pack, digital pattern making, and grading.”
What Software can do for an Apparel Designer
The use of digital software allows an apparel designer to build their fashion collections and easily transfer them to manufacturers or future employers. While there are limitations to many digital software platforms, they can allow for creative expression.
- Adobe Illustrator allows for designers to create and draw technical flats
- Adobe Photoshop allow designers to build strategic and creative mood boards for their fashion collections
- Procreate allows the designer to draw fashion illustrations by hand
Choosing a Career as a Technical Fashion Designer
The digital side of the apparel design industry has very specific career paths that can be taken. By receiving a degree in Apparel Design and Manufacturing at Texas Tech University’s College of Health & Human Sciences, each student will learn the skills needed to obtain a role in the technical design side of the fashion industry. A technical apparel designer is a key position at each technical apparel designers are often tasked with:
- Creating technical packages (tech packs)
- Creating detailed flat sketches of the lead designer’s fashion sketches
- Creating digitally rendered patterns to send to manufacturers
Education and Courses Needed
The education path to becoming an apparel designer will consist of illustration, sewing, and digital software classes. Technical apparel design is just one branch of the apparel design field that one can pursue. To succeed in this career field, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Apparel Design and Manufacturing will help you learn all the skills necessary. The Texas Tech University College of Health & Human Sciences offers this degree through their Department of Design. Throughout this degree process, one could expect to take many courses centered around using digital software. Some of these courses will include:
- Computer Applications in Apparel Design – learning the aspects of Adobe Illustrator
- Digital Design for Fashion – learning the aspects of Adobe Photoshop and learning the Gerber software
- Apparel Portfolio Development – using Adobe platforms to build a design portfolio
- Apparel Manufacturing – learning how to create technical packages (tech packs) and how to use AI to assist with generating a portfolio
The use of digital software is becoming more and more common in the everyday life of an apparel designer, so much so that one can make this their entire career. The digital world of the fashion industry allows for maintaining a creative mindset while blending technical aspects to create something that is easily understood by all professionals in the industry.
Explore the Program
https://www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/dod/adm/
Expert Featured in this blog:
Mahendra Balasubramanian