Discover career opportunities in the fashion industry while learning the tricks of the trade from the experts
The world of fashion is full of opportunities, offering plenty of areas for exploration in addition to being a designer—there are professions like styling, art direction, costume design, illustration, textile printing, and lots more.
Not sure where to start? Here’s ten online courses looking at different areas of the fashion world to help you explore the various possibilities and find the area that suits you best. Plus, you’ll be in the company of experts who will share their creative processes and the best-kept secrets in the industry.
Click on the red titles for more information about the courses.
Styling and Costume Design for a Stage Performance, course by Lisa Katnić
Not everything in fashion is about making a collection, so if you’re looking for an option that allows you to flex your design muscles without necessarily being a designer, this course by Los Angeles stylist and costume designer Lisa Katnić (@lisa_tv) is a great place to start.
In the course, as well as exploring the key differences between styling and costume design, you’ll learn all about Lisa’s creative process (including how to work with a brief and tailor outfits to your client’s needs) that’s seen her work with artists such as Miley Cyrus and Billie Eilish. Finally, you will learn how to hold fitting sessions and photograph your work to get new clients.
Art Direction for the Fashion Industry, course by Manuel Ridocci
Perhaps what you’re after isn’t to create a collection, but to understand and shape the process by which your work is presented to the world. If that’s the case, this course by art director and graphic designer Manuel Ridocci (@manuelridocci) will become one of your favorites.
In the course, you’ll learn the various tasks involved in being an art director, from communication strategies and analyzing fashion trends, to presenting your briefs to potential clients. You will also learn, step by step, what you need to carry out campaigns for fashion collections and editorials.
Creative Fashion Illustration Techniques, course by Connie Lim
If you're a keen illustrator who's passionate about all things fashion, follow in the footsteps of greats like René Gruau and Antonio Lopez by exploring the world of fashion illustration with illustrator and designer Connie Lim (@_connielim_). Unlike more technical design sketches, many fashion illustrations take inspiration from the runways (and all corners of the industry) to create striking artworks for magazines, ad campaigns, wall art, and more.
In her course, Connie teaches you how to combine traditional drawing techniques with a more experimental approach using mixed media to create exciting fashion illustrations. Using an editorial reference as a starting point, Connie guides you through the process for achieving the perfect pose and styling your illustrated fashion figure.
Creating Your Own Fashion Brand, course by Moisés Nieto
If you fall in love with every collection you see at fashion weeks and want to bring your designs to these global platforms, this course by experienced Spanish fashion designer Moisés Nieto (@moisesnieto) is great to get to know all the secrets of the industry.
Throughout, you’ll learn how to start, define, and launch your clothing or accessories brand. You’ll discover methods to analyze your product, market, and target audience, how set out your objectives and business model, and get expert tips to build your brand’s identity. Finally, you'll explore the different ways of selling your product, learn about your brand’s potential, and more.
Launching Your First Fashion Brand, course by André Boffano
To enter the fashion industry, one of the most important things is to keep your finger on the pulse in order to identify opportunities in the market and create a valuable offering. For this, there’s no better teacher than Brazilian fashion brand consultant and the founder of MODEM, André Boffano (@andreboffano).
In this course, the Brazilian consultant trained in Paris, teaches you how to create your own brand—from market analysis, to brand identity, to the processes of creating a cohesive brand. You’ll also learn to determine the best forms of production and how to create a business model that best suits your style.
Creation of a Streetwear Brand, a course by Smithe
With a long history stemming back to hip hop, skateboarding, and surfing, streetwear has reemerged as a style for everyone and any occasion. Mexican urban artist and designer, Smithe (@smithe), is passionate about streetwear culture and has been leading the creative direction of Tony Delfino for a decade.
In his course, you’ll learn how to define the creative direction of your brand, generate a central concept to define the name and logo, as well as choose the materials to work with for your first collection. From sketching to modeling sessions, Smithe shares everything you need to develop your own streetwear brand.
Professional Leather Handbag Design, course by Lili Storella
Interested in discovering traditional handcrafts? Learn to make bespoke leather bags using professional crafting techniques with leather maker Lili Storella (@wenglili). Starting out by making small items for her friends and family, Lili soon turned her love of leather craftwork into her own brand, Mila.jito, through which she sells accessories like bags, passport holders, belts, and watch straps.
In her course, she'll teach you the foundations of working with leather to sculpt durable, functional, and fashionable bags. You'll learn how to crease, punch, stitch, and edge paint, as well as make unique padding details and closure design, before putting all the parts together.
Hand Embroidery for Clothing: Stitch a Collage Design, a course by Damaja
If you're looking to explore more sustainable fashion, upcycling second-hand clothes and vintage wares is one way to create ethical and chic, one-of-a-kind pieces. Embroidery artist and designer Stefanija Pejchinovska, aka Damaja (@damaja), embellishes clothing with embroidery, designing one-off pieces with sustainable brands and local artists.
In her course, you’ll learn how to craft clothing that’s kind to the environment, giving used items a new lease of life by embroidering on stretchy garments using an original collage design. Discover the various types of stitches and how to create a color gradient in your work.
Textile Prints with Digital Techniques, course by Ricardo Luévanos
If you have previous knowledge of illustration and are looking to design your own patterns to create printed fabrics, this course will help you get started. With graphic artist Ricardo Luévanos (@ricardoluevanos), you’ll learn everything you need to take advantage of digital tools in your designs.
Through the course, you’ll learn about maximalism, a central concept in Ricardo's work, as well as knowing how to take, transform, and edit a photo to turn it into a pattern. Finally, you’ll discover everything about textile sublimation, a common form of printing in fashion.
Design of Textile Prints, course by La Casita de Wendy
For fans of bold prints, this course by La Casita de Wendy founder, Inés Aguilar (@casitadewendy), is a thorough introduction to creating repeating patterns for manual and digital fabric printing.
In the course, you'll learn what you need to transfer a drawing or illustration to fabric following two different manual techniques. Then, you’ll discover how to craft a digital pattern and ways in which you can adapt it to each style of clothing you want to create.
Learn the skills you need to conceptualize, define, and launch your clothing or accessories brand from the industry's finest with more than fifty online fashion courses on Domestika.
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