What classes can you take in college to be a fashion designer? What is the right path to take to be a successful fashion designer?

Becoming a fashion designer typically includes the following steps:

1. getting a 2yr or 4yr degree in fashion design. during that training, you might take classes in sewing and tailoring, pattern making, history of fashion, and the design of specific types of clothing such as menswear or footwear.
   
   


2. getting an internship with design and manufacturing firms is really important
   
   


3. building a portfolio of your work
   
   

Here's some fun info about steps you can take NOW (while in high school) if you're interested in becoming a fashion designer:

1. 
   

   Come up with your own style. Write down your ideas, or draw sketches on paper, so that you have a better picture of it. If you have an idea for a design, sketch it! Paper and pencils are not difficult to find and it is better to do this before you forget. Carry a sketchbook around with you at all times. Pin in fabrics you like, label colors and fabrics you will want to use. Make a portfolio to hold your designs. You might need them later on.

   
   


2. 
   

   Learn about fashion! Keep up to date with the latest fashions by checking out books, subscribing to fashion magazines, checking fashion sites, etc. Learn how the business works. Spend some time digging through old & new fashion magazines; you can get some ideas and inspiration from previous designs. See if you can take some lessons in your spare time about fashion, sewing or drawing.

   
   


3. 
   

   Learn how to use a sewing machine. To be a fashion designer you will need to have some experience in actually making clothes.

   
   


4. 
   

   Purchase the fabric. Go through department stores and fabric shops hunting for fabric that you love that is not too expensive.

   
   


5. 
   

   Practice sewing and making clothes. Try altering clothes you already have, and even making your own! Wearing your own designs will be one of the best ways for you to advertise. Here are a few simple projects that you can try out:
   
   

   
   


6. Make an Umbrella Skirt
   
   


7. Modify Your T Shirt
   
   


8. Make a Summer Dress out of a Bedsheet
   
   


9. Make Easy Pants
   
   


10. 
    

    Go through your mom's old stuff (if she doesn't mind!). If you see a shirt that has great sequins you can cut the sleeves off for example. Re-design those out of date items and make them fresh.
    
    

    
    


11. 
    

    Design a label for your clothing. Create a catchy logo that appeals to your target market.

    
    


12. 
    

    Advertise your clothing! Make sure that people know about your talents: Offer to design outfits or even prom dresses for your friends. Wear your creations to school every day. Look into opening a shop on etsy.com, a site that hosts thousands of shops that sell hand made goods and that's compatible with teens. Start soliciting feedback from friends, family, and online fashion communities. A great way to get started is submitting your sketches and completed samples to fashion design competitions like SocialAttire.com, modclothes.com, and other sites you can find on Google. Maybe even start your own website for your fashions.

    
    


13. 
    

    Ask your friends what they think of your designs and get their opinions. Ask them if you should add anything or remove anything to make your designs better.

    
    


14. 
    

    Have extreme passion, and drive to become a fashion designer. A lot of devotion, time, stress, and effort goes into becoming one; and it doesn't happen over night. It's something you work at, and don't give up on. It has to be something you love and want to be and have success in.

    
    

This article is a good overview:

"HOW TO BECOME A FASHION DESIGNER

FROM THE "HOW TO GET A JOB IN FASHION" SERIES

You know you're destined to be a fashion designer if you:
spent most of your childhood making clothes for your Barbie dolls instead of playing with your friends;
read fashion magazines instead of your school books;
ran a boutique out of your basement at age 10.

In other words: if you want to be the next Yves Saint Laurent, it helps to be completely and utterly obsessed with fashion.

However, there are many aspects of the profession. Working as a fashion designer can just as well mean supervising a design team at a sportswear company as producing a label under your own name. Although the former career may not seem as glamorous as the latter, it certainly will make your life less stressful. To create your own label takes a lot of time, dedication and hard work. Not to mention living just above the poverty line for several years.

CHOOSING A STRATEGY
There are as many different ways to embark upon a fashion career as there are styles of design. Ralph Lauren's Polo empire was founded on a small tie collection that he sold to Bloomingdales. Helmut Lang decided to open his own clothing store when he couldn't find a t-shirt that he liked. Michael Kors built up a network of customers by selling clothes in a trendy NYC boutique. However, most people find that the best foundation for a design career is to get a fine arts degree in fashion at a prestigious school. Besides teaching you the craft, a good school will also add credibility to your resumé. "We live in a brandname society, and having the name of a good school behind you really does help," says Carol Mongo, Director of the Fashion Department at Parsons School of Design in Paris.

APPLYING TO A SCHOOL
There are a lot of colleges that have fashion programs, but only a handful has the kind of reputation that can really push your career. (See separate listings for addresses and web sites.) It's hard to enter these schools as competition is high, and they tend to be very selective. You apply by sending a portfolio of drawings of your designs. "We can't teach you how to be creative -- you have to bring your creativity to us and let us lead you on your way," says Carol Mongo. She recommends students to get some sewing experience before they apply. Drawing is also an important skill for a designer -- it is the way you communicate your ideas. In order to build an impressive portfolio it's a good idea to have some experience in sketching; taking art classes will help you understand form and proportion. But you don't have to be an expert drawer to get accepted to a school. "The most important quality that we look for in our students is that they are truly passionate and exuberant about fashion," says Mongo. "If you have wonderful ideas but can't draw, there are always ways to get around it. You could for example put your designs on a mannequin and take pictures of it."

WHAT SCHOOL WILL DO FOR YOU
Most fashion programs are three to four years long. During that time you will take fine arts classes and study drawing, color composition and form. You will also learn pattern making, draping and cutting techniques. One of the most important advantages of design schools is that they work really closely with the industry. Parsons, for example, have "designer critic projects" where successful designers like Donna Karan and Michael Kors work directly with the graduating students. Ambitious students also have the chance to win prestigious awards and grants, which bring them a lot of attention as well as financial support. One very important event is the fashion show at the end of the last semester, when graduating students show their collections. A lot of important people from the fashion industry attend these shows to scout new talent. It's also an opportunity to be really outrageous and get noticed by the media. Hussein Chalayan, for example, became instantly infamous when he showed rotting clothes that he had buried in his backyard for his graduation show at Saint Martins.

ALTERNATIVE ROUTES
"Let's be realistic," says Carol Mongo at Parsons, "School's not for everyone. If you're just looking to get a job in the fashion industry -- not a career as a designer -- you probably don't need to go school." If you want to work as a seamstress or a patternmaker, the best thing is probably to apply for an internship at a fashion house and work your way up. However, there are many examples of famous designers who started out as interns with no formal training. For example, Dior's brightest new star, men's wear designer Hedi Slimane, had a degree in journalism when he started working with men's wear designer José Levy. Balenciaga's Nicolas Ghesquière is another example of a brilliantly successful designer who learned the jobs hands-on, as an assistant at Jean-Paul Gaultier. Usually, you apply for an internship by sending a portfolio to a fashion house you're interested in. But it's a good idea to call them up beforehand to see exactly what they need. It's also important to note that competition is fierce, and unless you have personal connections, it's very difficult to get an internship without an education. There are also designers, like Luella Bartley, who started their own business after working as stylists for several years, thus building an industry network as well as a good marketing sense.

UNDERSTANDING THE BUSINESS
Unfortunately, it's not enough for a designer to be creative; you also have to have some business sense. As fashion gets more and more corporate driven, it's important to be aware of the business climate and understanding the mechanics behind it. By religiously reading trade papers like "Women's Wear Daily" you will get a lot of valuable information. If you want to run your own company, you need to be extremely organized and learn at least the basics of economics. A lot of fashion schools are currently increasing business classes in their curriculum. "Our students have to be smart enough to know how to negotiate a contract, or to pick a business partner," says Carol Mongo. It's perhaps telling that many of the designers that are really successful today, like Calvin Klein or Tom Ford, are involved in every aspect of the business -- from licensing strategies to ad campaigns to actually designing the clothes. "

If I can give you one piece of advice it would be to weave in economics classes into whatever course of study you end up going into. Basic accounting and the ability to write a business plan are critical.

These will really help when you are first starting off as a designer and are looking to launch your personal line.