This example is for fashion designers working at clothing brands, retail chains, garment factories and their own labels, and for fashion design graduates looking for their first job.
A brand wants to know which collections you have designed, for which customer, which software you use, whether you prepare tech packs and how you work with production. We show you how to describe this on your CV and in your portfolio.
Fashion designer with 7 years of experience at a Polish womenswear brand and a retail chain. I design 4 collections a year, from trend research through sketches and tech packs to fittings and production sign-off. I work in Illustrator and CLO 3D and with garment factories in Poland and abroad.
Work experience
Fashion designer
02.2021 - present
Womenswear brand, Lodz
Designing 4 collections a year, about 60 styles per collection.
Sketches, technical drawings and tech packs for the factory.
Choosing fabrics and trims, contact with suppliers.
Prototype fittings and corrections with the pattern cutter.
Visualising styles in CLO 3D, which cut the number of prototypes by about 30%.
Junior designer
07.2018 - 01.2021
Clothing retail chain, Warsaw
Prints and details for the youth collection.
Trend research and reports for the team.
Preparing materials for photo shoots.
Education
Master of Arts, fashion design
2013 - 2018
Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz
Skills
Collection design
Sketches and technical drawing
Tech packs
Fabric selection
Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
CLO 3D
Courses and competitions
CLO 3D course, 2021
Finalist of a competition for young designers, 2018
Languages
English: C1
Italian: A2
Additional information
Portfolio in the link
I hereby consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes necessary to carry out the recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR).
How to write a fashion designer CV
Professional summary
Write which collections you design, for which brand or customer and for how long. Add whether you prepare tech packs, choose fabrics and work with production, because brands look for designers who can take a design all the way to the shop. Put the portfolio link in the header.
Fashion design graduate whose diploma collection was shown at the university show. I completed a placement at a clothing brand, draw in Illustrator and know the basics of pattern cutting. I am looking for work as an assistant designer.
Experience: duties and achievements
Describe collections, their number and size, your role and your work with pattern cutters, the factory and the buying team. Show results: sales, shorter lead times, shows. List your own label as a position.
Weaker: Designing clothes.
Better: Designing 4 collections a year, about 60 styles per collection.
Weaker: Documentation.
Better: Sketches, technical drawings and tech packs for the factory.
Weaker: Prototypes.
Better: Prototype fittings and corrections with the pattern cutter.
Skills worth listing
List stages of design, software and knowledge of fabrics and production. In your soft skills show a feel for trends, meeting deadlines and cooperation, because a collection runs on a fixed calendar.
Professional skills
Collection design
Technical drawing
Tech packs
Fabrics
Graphics software
3D design
Personal skills
A feel for trends
Meeting deadlines
Cooperation
Creativity
Communication
Courses and competitions
List software courses, design competitions and shows. A portfolio with collections, sketches and tech packs is the most important document.
Fashion designer CV with no experience
Describe your diploma collection, study projects, placements and competitions. Show sketches and finished garments in your portfolio.
Start as an assistant designer or in the product department. Write which software you know and whether you can sew.
Tailoring your CV to the job offer
A premium brand looks for original collections and attention to detail, a retail chain for pace and trend research, and a garment factory for tech packs and work with production. Move to the top what the job ad is about.
The most common mistakes on a fashion designer CV
No portfolio link.
No tech packs or software.
Collections with no number or type.
Leaving out work with production.
A CV so graphic that an ATS cannot read it.
A CV longer than two pages.
Questions and answers
What should a fashion designer put on a CV?
Collections, the number of styles, stages of work, tech packs, fabrics, software, work with production, competitions and a portfolio link.
Does a fashion designer need a portfolio?
Yes, it is the most important part of the application. Show sketches, tech packs and finished designs in it.
Which software does a fashion designer use?
Most often Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, and more and more often 3D software such as CLO 3D.
Does a fashion designer need to sew?
Not always, but knowing sewing and pattern cutting helps when working with production.
Create a fashion designer CV in the builder
In the CV Majster builder you enter your details step by step and see right away what the document looks like. You can copy the wording from this page and adapt it to yourself. The finished CV as a PDF costs a one-off PLN 5, with no subscription, and you see the preview before you pay.