Resources

Here are a few useful resources for fashion design to add to your bookshelf. You can never have too  many reference books!

Fashion Design Books

Fashion Design Course: Principles, Practice, and Techniques: A Guide for Aspiring Fashion Designers, 2nd Edition

by Steven Faerm, October 15, 2017

This book contains an introduction to fashion design intended for students, dressmakers, and other interested in knowing about the fashion design industry as a career, and for general knowledge about the industry. Author Steven Faerm is a professor of fashion at Parson’s School of Design. He is also a graduate of the same school and is well known in the industry. Steven begins with an overview of fashion design principles and history, then describes markets and customers. The book includes tutorials that teach how to design sportswear, business wear, active wear, evening wear, children’s clothing, men’s garments, and accessories to make a well rounded course of instruction. Step-by-step tutorials. Preview available!

Fashion Designer Survival Guide, Revised and Expanded Edition: Start and Run Your Own Fashion Business

by Mary Gehlhar, January 5, 2021

In this book author Mary Gehlhar gives advice on starting a fashion business and includes topic such as: creating a business plan; figuring out how much money you will need, where to get it and how to budget it; sources for your fabrics and notions; problems you will encounter in the production process; marketing, branding, and selling your products; dealing with the press; and producing a great runway show.

About the author: Mary Gehlhar is well known in the fashion arena as an author and industry authority. She is consultant to hundreds of designers including Zac Posen, Twinkle by Wenlan, Rebecca Taylor, and Cloak. Mary is able to give readers behind the scenes information to those with a desire to run a fashion design business.

The Fashion Design Reference & Specification

by Jay Calderin and Laura Vilpintesta, July 1, 2013

“The Fashion Design Reference & Specification” is a handbook for fashion design entrepreneurs filled with relevant information and resources that authors Jay Calderin and Laura Volpintesta deem most necessary to success in the fashion industry.  The focus is on newcomers.

The book is divided into sections each focused on one aspect of the design to production process. These sections are: 1) research (know your customer), 2) editing (of the design concept), 3) design (a detailed plan), 4) construction, 5) connection (connecting with the buying public through portfolio, branding, and marketing, 6) evolving (growth of the designer and brand).

Woven through these sections are discussions of tools of the trade, fashion history, fashion silhouettes, accessories, patternmaking, sewing and finishing techniques, and portfolio creation, branding, and marketing and more.

Author Jay Calderin teaches a wide variety of fashion and professional development courses at the School of Fashion Design in Boston, MA.

Author Laura Volpintesta teaches fashion illustration, presentation and concept development at Parson’s New School of Design.