Fashion Design vs Fashion Merchandising

The world of fashion is fascinating. Entering the fashion industry means facing strong competition. Here, talented marketers and creative minds work together to meet the fast-changing demands and trends. According to Statista reports, the Indian fashion market is booming, with revenue expected to reach $24.35 billion by 2029 (Source).

There are many job routes in the fashion sector, but the most well-liked ones are fashion design and fashion merchandising, as both fields contribute to the industry. Although they are related, their skill sets, responsibilities, and career objectives differ.

However, students often need help deciding which course to take: fashion design or merchandising. In this blog, we will explore the difference between fashion design and fashion merchandising, which will help candidates select the program that best aligns with their professional goals.

What is Fashion Design?

Fashion design is fusing design, natural beauty, and aesthetics to create apparel and accessories. This process involves creativity, attention to detail, and understanding current trends to produce stylish and appealing garments.

What do Fashion designers do?

The fundamentals of fashion design are ideation, sketching, construction, and marketing. The following are the responsibilities of designers:

• Understand and incorporate design components such as color, texture, shape, and line.
• Attend fashion shows and review fashion periodicals to learn about and predict current trends in fashion.
• Draw detailed designs manually or digitally.
• Employ CAD (computer-aided design).
• Determine color palettes.
• Supervise the pattern cutting and sample and prototype sewing.
• Acquire knowledge on how to fit and size shoes and clothing.
• Examine and determine the fabrics and other artistic materials used in the designs.
• Understand target audiences and know how to approach the market.
• Make sure the production team sticks to the designer's instructions.

What is Fashion Merchandising?

The word "merchant" refers to someone who purchases and resells products for a profit. Fashion merchandising is an activity that assures that fashion goods are accessible to consumers at the proper time, cost, and amount.

The focus of fashion merchandising is sales and profitability. It achieves results by observing, forecasting, and reacting to consumers’ needs and interests. This includes managing inventory, setting prices, and planning promotions. Numerous other functions and responsibilities exist, such as visual merchandising and customer service.

What do Fashion merchandisers do?

In general, fashion merchandising includes the following responsibilities:

• Use both qualitative and quantitative research methods to gather and analyze market data.
• Develop plans for fashion merchandise to ensure retailers stand out, protect suppliers' interests, and maximize profits.
• Making strategic decisions while choosing raw materials and fabrics from home and foreign markets.
• Analyzing data to forecast fashion retailing trends.
• Analyzing the target audience's purchasing habits and trends

Difference between Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising

The main differences between fashion design vs fashion merchandising are outlined here:

• Skills required to become a fashion designer

To pursue a career in fashion design, assessing your skill level is critical. More than merely possessing information about fashion design is required to become a successful fashion designer. To succeed in the fashion industry, one must acquire technical and artistic skills.

The following list includes some of the abilities a fashion designer must have:

• Good communication skills
• Time management
• Leadership skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Creativity and productivity
• Adaptability to trends
• Drawing and sewing skills
• Skills required to become a fashion merchandiser

To succeed, a person needs to possess a few specific abilities in every career. The following are some of the abilities you must have to work as a fashion merchandiser:

• Understanding of fashion at all times.
• A sharp sense of detail.
• The capacity to meet deadlines.
• Effective communication abilities to collaborate with team members and different clients.
• Customer support and input are needed to build a solid clientele.
• Prevent losses and increase the market share.
• Education

To work as a fashion designer, one requires a formal degree in fashion design from an accredited college or university.

Conversely, a fashion merchandiser requires a marketing degree, a degree in fashion merchandising, or a degree in a related field. Employers frequently show hiring preference for applicants with prior retail experience.

• Career opportunities in fashion design

The fashion design industry offers many career options if you have the required skills. Here are some career paths in the fashion industry:

• Fashion Designer: They can tie up with brands or start their label.
• Associate Designer: They assist lead designers professionally.
• Pattern Maker: Develops clothing patterns based on the designer's instructions.
• Costume Designer: They design TV, movies, and stage sets outfits.
• Career opportunities in fashion merchandising

Fashion merchandising offers a broad spectrum of possibilities in the fashion industry. Some of the following career options are listed below:

• Allocator: Moving stock to multiple stores
• Product Developer: Designing new products and keeping records of their development.
• Retail Manager: Managing operations and other duties in retail stores.
• Brand Manager: Overseeing marketing development and implementation for brands.

Fashion design vs Fashion merchandising: Which path is better?

Do you need to decide whether to pursue fashion design or fashion merchandising? That depends on your unique interests, abilities, and professional objectives.

• Fashion design can be your dream career if you are creative and want the world to wear your creations.
• Fashion merchandising can be your calling if you are a strategic thinker passionate about trends and consumer behavior.

It is up to you to decide which course is best for you. Both fashion design and merchandising provide fulfilling job prospects with high pay packages. However, the specific role, work location, experience, and skill will determine the salary.

Conclusion

The fashion industry is growing. Whether you choose fashion design or fashion merchandising, both paths promise rewarding and fulfilling career opportunities.

Candidates eager to build a career in the fashion industry consider exploring the comprehensive B.Des in fashion design program offered by the ITM Institute of Design & Media. The four-year, full-time program exposes you to the fascinating field of fashion design and provides plenty of practical experience. To learn more about the courses, visit itm.edu.

Enroll now and explore the path leading to your ideal profession in the fashion sector.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) Is Fashion merchandising a good degree?

A degree in fashion merchandising opens up many exciting jobs in the fashion industry. These skills will help you succeed in different roles, like buyer, product developer, visual merchandiser, retail manager, and brand manager.

2) What is a fashion merchandising degree?

A degree in fashion merchandising combines business, design, and fashion knowledge to support and guarantee the smooth functioning of fashion retail operations.

3) What is the eligibility for a fashion design course?

Candidates for admission to an undergraduate fashion design course must have passed 10+2 in any specialization with a minimum of 50% marks. Candidates pursuing a post-graduate fashion design course must have a bachelor's degree in any field.

4) What is the salary of a fashion designer?

The salary of a fashion designer ranges between INR 6 LPA and INR 7.4 LPA, with an average annual salary of INR 4.3 LPA (Source).