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Fashion Designer

Creative

Design clothing and accessories. Create original designs or adapt fashion trends.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Creative Arts & Media

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Sketch rough and detailed drawings of apparel or accessories, and write specifications such as color schemes, construction, material types, and accessory requirements.
  2. 2Examine sample garments on and off models, modifying designs to achieve desired effects.
  3. 3Determine prices for styles.
  4. 4Confer with sales and management executives or with clients to discuss design ideas.
  5. 5Select materials and production techniques to be used for products.
  6. 6Provide sample garments to agents and sales representatives, and arrange for showings of sample garments at sales meetings or fashion shows.
  7. 7Direct and coordinate workers involved in drawing and cutting patterns and constructing samples or finished garments.
  8. 8Develop a group of products or accessories, and market them through venues such as boutiques or mail-order catalogs.
  9. 9Identify target markets for designs, looking at factors such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status.
  10. 10Draw patterns for articles designed, cut patterns, and cut material according to patterns, using measuring instruments and scissors.
  11. 11Collaborate with other designers to coordinate special products and designs.
  12. 12Attend fashion shows and review garment magazines and manuals to gather information about fashion trends and consumer preferences.
  13. 13Sew together sections of material to form mockups or samples of garments or articles, using sewing equipment.
  14. 14Purchase new or used clothing and accessory items as needed to complete designs.
  15. 15Design custom clothing and accessories for individuals, retailers, or theatrical, television, or film productions.
  16. 16Research the styles and periods of clothing needed for film or theatrical productions.
  17. 17Visit textile showrooms to keep up-to-date on the latest fabrics.
  18. 18Adapt other designers' ideas for the mass market.
  19. 19Test fabrics or oversee testing so that garment care labels can be created.
  20. 20Read scripts and consult directors and other production staff to develop design concepts and plan productions.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Stylist
  • Costumer
  • Designer
  • Fur Stylist
  • Fur Designer
  • Hat Designer
  • Fur Remodeler
  • Shoe Designer
  • Style Advisor
  • Custom Furrier

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. Typical entry

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationBachelor's degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Visual Art (PSV)Draws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Technical Comm. GraphicsDraws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Engineering DrawingDraws directly on Design — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Computer Science / ICTDraws directly on Computers and Electronics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Electrical & Electronic Eng. StudiesDraws directly on Computers and Electronics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Design88%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

  • Computers and Electronics67%

    Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies

  • Production and Processing65%

    Design & Technology (RBT)Mechanical Engineering Studies

  • Sales and Marketing64%

    BusinessEconomics

  • English Language63%

    English

  • Fine Arts54%

    Visual Art (PSV)

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never
  • Time spent sittingMost of the time
  • Time spent standingA little

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

13%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Graphic Designer

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Fashion Designers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue