WHAT DOES A FASHION DO?

Published: Jun 5, 2025 - The Fashion Professional creates and delivers innovative designs that reflect current trends and meet consumer expectations. This role involves managing the full design cycle, including research, material selection, sample development, and production coordination. The individual ensures brand consistency, drives product appeal, and contributes to the overall success of fashion collections.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Fashion

1. Fashion Buyer Duties

  • Cost Negotiation: Engage with Sourcing on new opportunities for better costs and quality
  • Price Comparison: Cross costing to ensure the most competitive prices
  • Budget Planning: Formulate buy plans and budgets for the brand categories
  • Margin Management: Management of margins for brand categories as defined in the business plan
  • Sales Monitoring: Monitor and track the category sales and costs, consistently assessing and maximising operational efficiencies
  • KPI Delivery: Deliver business KPI's as per seasonal/annual budgets
  • Performance Tracking: Track actual performance against seasonal and annual budgets
  • Relationship Management: Maintaining an effective working relationship with suppliers, customers and staff
  • Profit Optimization: Ensure that the outcomes of supplier negotiations have a direct impact on the department’s contribution to the overall profit
  • Supplier Communication: Implement a process to communicate effectively when negotiating with suppliers so that all elements relating to pricing, quality, quantity, styling and delivery requirements are clearly understood and carried out by business requirements
  • Supplier Evaluation: Monitor supplier performance on an ongoing basis and re-negotiate deliverables

2. Fashion Design Intern Details

  • Studio Support: Assisting the studio in day-to-day tasks
  • Sample Assistance: Assisting the designer and pattern-cutter in creating current season samples
  • Pattern Cutting: Tracing and cutting patterns for samples and production
  • Technical Pack Creation: Utilizing Adobe Creative Suite (Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign) in creating industry-standard technical packs ready for production
  • File Organization: Organising production dockets and files
  • Textile Research: Textile experimentation, development and research
  • Trend Research: Seasonal trend, material, colour and product research
  • Campaign Support: Supporting seasonal campaign and collection preparations
  • Lookbook Coordination: Organisation and participation in seasonal lookbook styling and shootings

3. Fashion Design Specialist Responsibilities

  • Market Research: Conduct market research to identify consumer needs
  • Product Design: Propose product design for seasonal collection based on the brand's unique selling point
  • Team Supervision: Supervise the pattern maker team in the pre-production and sampling process
  • Production Coordination: Coordinate with the production team to ensure the quality and timeline
  • Photoshoot Styling: Coordinate with the creative team to conduct a photoshoot styling session

4. Fashion Designer Job Summary

  • Collection Development: Research, conceptualise, design and develop for private label womenswear and menswear collections and manage all aspects of silhouette design and print design
  • Range Execution: Execute the research and range plans under the direction of the Category Manager
  • Trend Adaptation: Keep up to date with trends and market movements, forecast, develop and adapt designs accordingly to suit the consumer demands
  • Tech Pack Creation: Create clear and detailed tech packs complete with measurements and appropriate fabrics and trims
  • Buying Collaboration: Work closely with the buying team for alignment on consumer taste and preferences
  • Material Sourcing: Lead material sourcing with fabric mills or suppliers
  • Sampling Coordination: Work with the product development team during all stages of sampling to maximise efficiency and to ensure the best fit and quality for the consumers
  • Supplier Communication: Maintain close working relationships with factories and suppliers to remain updated on the status of samples and orders
  • Problem Solving: Anticipate sampling or production problems and come up with solutions that are practical, sustainable and cost-effective
  • Design Innovation: Elevate the private labels through design innovation

5. Junior Designer Fashion Accountabilities

  • Brand Design: Perform design work for the assigned brand, including Special Projects
  • Trend Research: Research on trends and writing a seasonal brief
  • Theme Research: Prepare relevant and creative research on themes, colours and fabrics based on the seasonal brief
  • Sketch Development: Initiate original design sketches/technical specs for all the styles following the seasonal brief
  • Trend Knowledge: Research and maintain knowledge of relevant womenswear, menswear and sportswear trends and history to advise on silhouettes, finishes, suitability of fabrics, etc.
  • Presentation Creation: Build creative presentation decks for seasonal collections, including mood boards and trend boards
  • Tech Pack Updates: Amend the Tech Packs and Overviews
  • Style Data Entry: Add style names and numbers
  • Line Tracking: Develop and track the linelist
  • Range Collaboration: Work closely with the product development team for Mens, Women's and Kids to range build seasonally and help on the daily workload
  • Record Maintenance: Keep up-to-date records of design and development for each style, fabrication details and print

6. Fashion Director Functions

  • Editorial Collaboration: Work closely with the GFN, GQ Editorial Lead and senior editorial team to create memorable fashion editorial across all platforms
  • Brand Representation: Represent the GQ brand within the worlds of fashion, entertainment and culture, working closely with the GQ Editorial Lead and senior editors on all relevant brand initiatives
  • Content Ideation: Collaborate with colleagues across divisions to contribute fashion coverage ideas that build the brand’s reputation and create new opportunities
  • Team Management: Manage a team of global fashion editors within the GFN, ensuring a smooth-running, efficient, and capable team responsible for covering the market and generating innovative fashion content
  • Industry Relations: Cultivate top-level, productive relationships within the fashion community including fashion brands, stylists, personalities, and photographers
  • Styling Contribution: Contribute to shoots as a top-tier stylist working closely with teams across editorial and creative to ensure the vision of the shoot comes to life
  • Talent Scouting: Proactively scout for new talent in the worlds of fashion, design, entertainment, sports, etc.
  • Project Participation: Collaborate within the GFN on editorial and special projects

7. Fashion Director Job Description

  • Styling Leadership: Lead a team of stylists to meet all styling needs including internal fashion presentations, e-commerce photo shoots, editorial, campaign and ad hoc projects
  • Creative Collaboration: Collaborate with the concept creative team to produce strong stories through on-figure styling
  • Brand Consistency: Ensure styling is aspirational, consistent and upholds Everlane brand standards
  • Cross-Functional Alignment: Develop and maintain cross-functional processes and relationships to understand assortment, product design intent and business goals
  • Team Integration: Become embedded in the merchandising, design, and buying teams
  • Collection Knowledge: Maintain an in-depth knowledge of monthly collections, key investments, and high-impact pieces
  • Trend Translation: Identify emerging trends and translate them into seasonal looks that are relevant and aspirational to the Everlane customer
  • Touchpoint Styling: Lead the styling of all customer touchpoints (retail, ecommerce, social media)
  • Fashion Messaging: Ensure a consistent fashion message
Relevant Information
What Does A Fashion Designer Do?