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Fashion design is a glamorous and competitive business. Recently, the trend in the fashion industry is toward business consolidation and movement of factory operations to overseas locations. However, business and design functions generally remain in the United States. Two thirds of fashion design jobs are in New York and California, the country's main fashion centers.

Fashion Designers don't just design clothing; they create accessories, shoes, and costumes as well. The entire design process can take up to two years. These are the steps of the fashion design cycle:

• Researching trends and predicting future tastes
• Visiting manufacturers and trade shows to look at materials
• Designing and creating prototypes of items being designed
• Modifying designs as needed
• Deciding which designs to sell
• Creating samples of the articles to be marketed
• Marketing fashions to retailers at fashion and trade shows
• Taking orders from retail merchandisers

To break into the business, fashion designers usually start out as pattern makers or sketching assistants for other designers. Many employers prefer job candidates with two or four-year degrees in fashion design. The National Association of Schools of Art and Design accredits some schools. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary in 2004 for fashion designers was $55,840.

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