Fashion designers come up with concepts for clothing, accessories and footwear, and they create patterns based on those ideas. In an atelier, or fashion design workshop, designers bring their patterns to life by choosing and cutting fabric, and sewing and draping the clothing on mannequins. Other fashion designers might send off their clothing patterns to third parties to make garments for them.

Designers may showcase their creations in design or fashion shows. They also oversee the production of apparel and the pieces’ marketing to consumers, who buy their garments and accessories through clothing retailers.

But the life of a designer isn’t all fashion shows and haute couture. Fashion designers often work long hours. They need the technical skills to get the job done, and they must stay on top of – or ahead of – trends.

“As you know, in fashion, one day you’re in. And the next day you’re out,” says Heidi Klum, model and former host of the reality TV show “Project Runway.”

Utkarsh Shukla, a New York designer, agrees. It’s true that the fashion industry is volatile, but there’s nothing like it either, he says.

Shukla, who grew up in India, was always drawn to art. He noticed that when he watched films, he would pay attention to the actors’ costumes and how they were made.

“I also had the luxury of growing up with amazing women in my life and I would see how they would dress up,” he says. “There was always this idea of confidence that came from clothing, and that was very powerful to me.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 3.3% employment growth for fashion designers between 2022 and 2032. In that period, an estimated 800 jobs should open up.

Many fashion designers break into the industry with a bachelor’s degree in fashion design or fashion merchandising. Designers must be creative and have the technical skills the job requires.

Shukla earned three fashion degrees: A bachelor’s degree from the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi and both an associate’s degree and an MFA from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

He describes his bachelor’s degree education as mostly mastering skills from patternmaking to cutting, and sewing to draping. While earning his master’s degree, he explored his own fashion design concept, which was the inspiration for his thesis project. He also took courses on craft and technology, sustainability, and the business side of the fashion industry.