Fashion Designer Resume Guide + Tips + Example

Nilda Melissa Diaz
By Nilda Melissa Diaz, Career Advice ContributorRated 4.5/5 Stars
Last Updated: September 22, 2023
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Propel your career with a well-written fashion designer resume. With our guide, you can create a professional fashion designer resume to showcase your skills and present you as a desirable candidate.

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Fashion designer resume example (text version)

Name: Nora Hutchinson

Brooklyn, NY 11206
(555) 555-5555
example@example.com

Professional Summary

Innovative fashion designer proficient in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator with a passion for creating new fashions. Proven history of successful collaboration with clients, brand managers and executives to deliver seasonal lines and specialized projects. Excellent ability to identify target markets and deliver on emerging trends.

Work History

November 2016 – Current
Macy’s – New York, NY
Fashion Designer

  • Develop over 350 seasonal and brand style guides to promote Macy’s women’s clothing. 
  • Save over 12% in annual expenses by negotiating with vendors on availability, product specifications, distribution, delivery deadlines and price. 
  • Plan monthly project concepts by researching and studying new trends and information. 

January 2014 – October 2016
SBH Fashion – New York, NY
Fashion Designer

  • Consulted with five to seven clients per day to discuss preferences, styles and ideas for commissions.
  • Created new garments based on established parameters or specific body measurements.
  • Repaired garments and corrected construction mistakes.

January 2013 – December 2013
Tommy Hilfiger – New York, NY
Fashion Design Intern

  • Assisted in the development of 10 designs for seasonal merchandise assortment to improve category depth and breadth.
  • Sketched artistic and fresh designs for consideration.
  • Collaborated with materials purchasing specialists to meet production requirements and quality standards.

Skills

  • Apparel design
  • Shaping and cutting
  • Sketchbook
  • Attention to detail
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Research skills
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Pattern making

Education

Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY
Bachelor of Arts Fashion Design

5 essentials of a top fashion designer resume

  1. Contact details

    This section will have all the information needed to contact you for an interview. The standard goes: full name, city, state and ZIP code, followed by phone number and email address. Finally, add a professional website, like your fashion design portfolio, LinkedIn profile or any other professional networking profile.

  2. Personal statement

    This section is your introduction to the hiring manager. Also called a professional summary, this is where you display your best skills and your related work experience. 

    In no more than five sentences, you will let the recruiter know: how long you have been in the industry, one or two professional accomplishments and your job-relevant skills. Pick your best to grab the hiring manager’s attention.

  3. Skills

    To create a skills section that catches the recruiter’s attention, be sure to include keywords from the fashion designer job description. Then, create a bulleted list of hard skills, like your textile historical knowledge and applique experience, and soft skills, such as teamwork and creativity. If this is your first job in fashion, you can include transferable skills from other employment.

  4. Work history

    List it in reverse-chronological order and add the company names, locations and dates of employment. For every job, include a bulleted list of three measurable accomplishments, like leading creative teams for national retailers, supporting and assisting an awarded designer and amount of developed new products for a local business. 

    If this is your first job, you can include other relevant work experience, like volunteer experiences, community services, professional projects and more.

  5. Education

    Create the education section of a resume for a fashion designer using bullet points. Include the educational institution’s name, the degree conferred and graduation year. You can omit the graduation date if it has been over 10 years. If you did not attend college, list your high school and any other post-high school course you’ve completed.

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Do’s and don’ts for building a fashion designer resume

  • Use measurable achievements to describe your fashion designer skills and experience.
  • Use action words to make an impact on your fashion designer resume.
  • Tailor your resume to your target fashion designer job.
  • Use keywords from the job description throughout your fashion designer resume.
  • Format your fashion designer resume so that it is easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
  • Lie about your fashion designer experience and skills.
  • Boast about your “incomparable” fashion designing abilities.
  • Include irrelevant personal information such as your ethnicity and age.
  • Add skills and experience that do not pertain to a fashion designer. 
  • Forget to proofread. A fashion designer resume with errors is unprofessional.

Top 4 tips for acing a fashion designer interview

  1. Research the company or institution before your interview.

    Take the time to learn about the company’s history, goals, values and people before your fashion designer interview. Being able to show that you have in-depth knowledge about your potential employer shows interest, dedication and commitment — traits that hiring managers look for in every job candidate they talk to. Plus, having a glimpse of the company culture before you arrive will give you an idea of what to expect on arrival so that you can feel confident.

  2. Practice at home.

    Prepare for any scenario by practicing an interview at home. Start by reviewing the most common interview questions, such as: 

    Ask a friend or relative to perform a mock interview. Look online for possible interview questions, write down the answers and then practice with your interview partner. Once you’re done, ask them for feedback and work with them to improve. Being prepared will boost your confidence and chances of getting a callback. 

    Pro tip: Practice in front of a mirror. Look at your facial expressions and body language, which hiring managers will notice.

  3. Be proactive and ask questions.

    At the end of your interview, you will be asked if you have any questions. As a rule of thumb, have three questions prepared. Hiring managers expect questions during or at the end of the interview. This shows your enthusiasm and interest in the role. 

    Here are a few examples of questions to get you started:

    • What goals do you have for this position?
    • Is this a new role? If yes, why was it created?
    • If the role is not new, how did the previous candidate succeed and what were they missing? 
    • Why did you decide to work for this company?
    • What is the day-to-day in the company?
    • What future projects are you excited about?
  4. Gather your references.

    Once you are ready to start sending your fashion designer resume, contact former managers and colleagues to be potential references. They should be able to vouch for your work ethic and skills. Explain to them where you are in the process and let them know they could receive a phone call or email. Ask if they could write a letter of recommendation for you. 

    If this is your first full-time job, you can request a reference from a mentor, former professor, community leader, volunteer coordinator or classmate that can vouch for your skills.

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