How to make fashion design portfolio

HOW TO PREPARE A FASHION DESIGN PORTFOLIO
SUNIL CHANGDEV TALEKAR

WHAT TYPE OF FASHION
PORTFOLIO DO YOU NEED?
WHAT TYPE OF FASHION
PORTFOLIO DO YOU NEED?

WHAT TYPE OF FASHION PORTFOLIO DO YOU NEED?
•Student Portfolio—Demonstrates knowledge attained in a given class or throughout your
school career. This portfolio can be helpful when you are applying for scholarships,
grants, or even other colleges.

•Project Portfolio—Shows the efforts or steps taken to complete a specific project or independent study.
(Think graduate collection or launch of new brand) This might also be used by freelancers who want to
demonstrate examples of projects they have worked on.

•Professional Portfolio—
Demonstrates your skill set,
aesthetic (via examples of your work
from previous employment),
accomplishments and expertise.
This portfolio is versatile and can be
arranged for a specific position.
(Woven vs. knit, or activewear vs.
swimwear) This fashion portfolio is
often used by freelancers who might
swap out examples of their work to
fit the needs and demographics of
the company they are pitching to.

WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN MY FASHION PORTFOLIO?
As you begin to create your fashion portfolio, there are several different items that you should consider if
applicable:
•Letters of reference
•Resume or CV
•Lists of accomplishments (grants, scholarships or competitions you won)
•Samples of work (e.g., graduate collect, items produced during internship, class projects, items produced from
your previous jobs, marketing photos with any products you helped design or produce, any media or publicity
you have received.)
•Mood boards, design concepts
•Computer Aided Design (CAD), flat sketches, illustrations, and Photographs
•your interview portfolio (the one you take with you on your interview) should include at least three complete
design projects or collections.

* Lastly is your design ideas..
ORGANIZING YOUR WORK FOR STUDENTS
* When you are fresh out of school your experience and body of work will be limited. However, the same rules
apply.
* Your fashion portfolio needs to be neatly organized and should flow.
* A good rule is to start with your resume.
* Next, showcase any accomplishments or special projects you worked on.
* Next, is your most recent or most relevant work for the job in which you are applying.
* This will actually be the most looked at section of your portfolio
* Your designs need to show your complete design process from concept through to final designs.

FASHION PORTFOLIO – STEP 1 – REVIEW YOUR CURRENT BODY OF WORK
FASHION PORTFOLIO – STEP 2 – FIND INSPIRATION
FASHION PORTFOLIO – STEP 3 – GET CLARITY OF CONCEPT
FASHION PORTFOLIO – STEP 4 – CREATE A MOOD BOARD
FASHION PORTFOLIO – STEP 5 – CREATE A COLOR PALETTE
FASHION PORTFOLIO – STEP 6 – CREATE YOUR CONCEPT BOARD
FASHION PORTFOLIO – STEP 7 – SKETCH OUT YOUR IDEAS
FASHION PORTFOLIO – STEP 8 – FIND YOUR FABRICS
FASHION PORTFOLIO – STEP 9 – ADD FLAT SKETCHES
FASHION PORTFOLIO – STEP 10 – FASHION ILLUSTRATIONS
HOW TO CREATE A FASHION PORTFOLIO

BUILD YOUR
FASHION
PORTFOLIO:
STEP
1 REVIEW YOUR CURRENT
BODY OF WORK

You will need to show that you at least have some knowledge of tops and bottoms, knits and wovens, etc.
WHERE TO START
IS THERE A SPECIFIC JOB YOU ARE PLANNING TO APPLY FOR SOON?
If there is a specific job you are planning to apply for then your portfolio needs to be tailored to that position. You may be
applying for a position that is category based.
An assistant denim designer perhaps. Or a men’s outerwear designer. In this case, your portfolio needs to be category
driven. Not all in composing collection style.
In this situation, the hiring manager is only interested in hiring someone who has the knowledge in that particular category.
Review your past work and see if your current body of work fits into this scenario.
Now, if you are applying for a more general position such as children’s wear associate designer, then you need to show a
more well-rounded collection of different types of pieces.

Your fashion portfolio needs to sing “I am the perfect candidate!” Review your current body of work and evaluate if your work
demonstrates the right look for the new position or company you are aspiring to work for.
If it doesn’t it’s time to create a project or collection that does. You can either start from scratch or rework things that you
already have done.
WHERE TO START
DOES YOUR CURRENT FASHION PORTFOLIO SPEAK TO THAT BRAND, AESTHETIC, OR
PRODUCT CATEGORY?

When you go on an interview you usually need to show 3-5 completed projects or groupings in your fashion portfolio. It is
important that you have multiple examples of your work to show that you have knowledge in that area.
If you are a student or are just starting out then you may not be a master just yet. However, you need to demonstrate the
knowledge you do have in that area, and any experience you have.
The person reviewing your fashion portfolio needs to feel that you are bringing something to the table. You are bringing your
experience, your skill set, your aesthetic, and your market knowledge in a particular area.
WHERE TO START
DO YOU HAVE AT LEAST THREE PROJECTS THAT HAVE THE SAME AESTHETIC, OR PRODUCT
CLASSIFICATION?

BUILD YOUR
FASHION
PORTFOLIO:
STEP
2 FIND INSPIRATION

1. Fashion magazines are great. I like to cut out things throughout the year that inspires me
and stick them in folders by category.
HOW TO DO TREND RESEARCH FOR YOUR FASHION PORTFOLIO
FASHION MAGAZINES

2 Fashionblogs are wonderful, too. Especially if you are following influencers for that particular area of the fashion industry.
I am a big fan of Pinterest because you can make online collages of different types of things that go together. For example, I
love sweater dresses. I have a Pinterest board just on sweater dresses! I also have boards by season and I have boards for
mood images
FASHION BLOGS

Other resources include trade publications that show pictures of runway collections from the most recent fashion week. Not
everything that is shown on a runway shows up in print in national magazines.
These trade publications are expensive ranging anywhere from $60 up to $200.
The good thing is that there are several different kinds out there from different publishers.
For example, you can buy one that is showing all collections from Paris, Milan, and London.
There are also publications that are category driven.
For example, you can buy one that only shows shoes or denim! If you don’t have a retailer near you that sells these
publications you can go to www.aroundtheworld.com
OTHER RESOURCES INCLUDE TRADE PUBLICATIONS

Inspiration shopping is probably hands down the best way to do your market research.
Go into boutiques or department stores and look carefully at all the clothes or accessories that are currently on the floor.
What are you drawn to? Look to see what silhouettes are popular in your market.
What colors are popping up in multiple brands?
INSPIRATION SHOPPING

WGSN is a global trend service company that has the most up to date trend reports each season.
It is a very expensive subscription base resource.
However, It is often free for students, or it may be available from your employer.
To get a list of ALL the fashion trend service providers check out the PGInsider Resource Library!
WGSN

Finally, there are trend services books that are published each season for every market.
They are extremely expensive (anywhere from $750 to $3500!) However, they are handcrafted and edited by a trend services
company who only sell a few dozen of these books each season.
Most companies purchase one or more of these books each season.
So, if you work for a company you might have access to the latest one they have purchased.
If you are a student some schools keep a copy of some of these in their library.
TREND SERVICES BOOKS

BUILD YOUR
FASHION
PORTFOLIO:
STEP
3 GET CLARITY OF CONCEPT

You don’t have to have the exact color standards decided just yet.
But you should have a general idea of the colors that you think will be important in your collection. Look through your tear sheets
and see what colors have emerged as important trend colors.
WHAT IS YOUR COLOR PALETTE GOING TO BE?

Remember that colors selected need to be appropriate for your market. A bright green color may be a hot trend right now, but it
may not be the right shade for your customer base. Or maybe that color should only be injected in a small way.

Create your color palette using color standard.
The most popular resource in the fashion industry is Pantone.
However, you can use yarns skeins, fabric swatches, or almost any solid material.

However, keep in mind the person viewing your portfolio doesn’t have all day.
They need to be able to get the full picture of your abilities and your design aesthetic in a short amount of time.
Also, try to be consistent with your groupings in your book. If you have six pages for one group, try to do the same
for all groups.
HOW MANY PAGES IS YOUR COLLECTION GOING TO BE?
In general, the answer to this question is, however many pages it takes to show your full concept.

In America, they are very “final product driven”. We want to see the finished product and then how you got to it.
Today people have short attention spans. We want to see all the details as a completed thought product.
Whereas in Europe they are very much interested in seeing HOW you think.
They want to see how you came up with your ideas and how you went from point A to point B all the way to Z.
It’s just a different way of thinking. Just something to keep in mind as you work through this process.
HOW MANY PAGES IS YOUR COLLECTION GOING TO BE?

If the portfolio you are working on is a collection base project where you need to have tops,
bottoms, over pieces, etc. it is not necessary to design a huge amount of items.
In fact, would dare say the fewer the better. As long as the group shows a complete look and
gets your concept across that is all that matters.
If you are working on a category driven project like any, then you need to decide what is going
to drive your collection.
You can tell a story by styling details that all coordinate together. You can design a grouping
based on fabrication or yarns. Based on this information figure out how many pieces you need
to show a complete idea.
HOW MANY DIFFERENT OUTFITS OR ITEMS ARE YOU GOING TO NEED?

In order to keep my work looking fresh and on-trend, I always want to make sure I am hitting
at least one trend in each collection.
I say one trend because most likely you are only doing 4-6 pages of a collection.
Two of which will be color, mood, and concept.
That doesn’t leave room for hitting every single fashion trend that’s out there.
The trend you choose can be silhouette drive, detail-driven, fabric, or even pattern driven.
WHAT ARE THE TOP TRENDS THAT YOU HAVE RESEARCHED THAT
YOU WANT TO GET ACROSS IN THIS COLLECTION?

BUILD YOUR
FASHION
PORTFOLIO:
STEP
4 CREATING A MOOD BOARD

A mood board is usually the first page of a fashion portfolio.
Its purpose is to set the tone of the collection and give the reader the immediate look and feel of
your collection.
In one glance the reader needs to be able to understand the overall feeling of your concept.
Now I am going to show you how to do this.
To do this start by laying out your images on a single page.
Play with the proportions and placement.
HOW TO CREATE A MOOD BOARD

Think about this page as a cover page.
You need to add text that gives a descriptive name to your collection.
You may also choose to add the season it is intended for.
Depending on how many pages you have decided to do, you may need to leave some room for
your color palette.
For now, this is a rough draft. And you can always change it.
HOW TO CREATE A MOOD BOARD

The most important thing is that your concept is clear to the viewer.
I also chose to put the creation of a mood board before a color palette only because, for me, I
sometimes get more clarity of my color through the selection of the images I find.
It is perfectly acceptable for you to either create your color palette while you create your
mood board or even create it first.
I will be adding my color palette after my next post, so I left some room.
WHAT SHOULD A MOOD BOARD LOOK LIKE?
The good news is there is no right or wrong way to create a mood board.

One more thing I should mention here is that you should decide if you are going to show your
work portrait or landscape.
It is important to stay consistent with your different projects.
You don’t want the viewer to have to keep flipping the pages upside down to see your work.
Once you are done I highly recommend you show it to a friend or colleague to get their
feedback.
Ask them what this page makes them think of. If they take away a totally different feeling than
what you are trying to express then it is time to re-think.

BUILD YOUR
FASHION
PORTFOLIO:
STEP
5 CREATE A COLOR PALETTE

It is time now select your color palette for your portfolio collection.
By now you should have a pretty good idea as to which colors you are
inspired by.
You have completed your mood board in the last task. See what colors
have been popping up and inspiring you.
The images in your mood board need to tie back to your color palette.
HOW TO CREATE A COLOR PALETTE FOR YOUR FASHION PORTFOLIO

For this reason, it is important that the images you chose tie back to your color palette.
This is why I personally choose to create my color palette after I create my mood board as I find I
get inspired by the images I put together.
However, it is perfectly acceptable for you to create a color palette first and then find images for
your mood board that tie in together.
HOW TO CREATE A COLOR PALETTE FOR YOUR FASHION PORTFOLIO

Below are a few things to keep in mind to help you finalize your selections.
1.Think about the garment you are planning to design and consider if the colors you are
thinking about will work for that category. For example, you might be looking at a country
blue color and you want to use this color for a denim bottom. Is this the most appropriate
shade for that category?
2.What are your key colors? Sometimes people use a hand full of key colors for most of their
collection, but may use other pop colors as accents.
3.How many colors you need depends on how robust your collection will be. If you are only
putting together 3-5 outfits really think about how many colors you will really use.
THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CREATING YOUR COLOR PALETTE

HOW TO ADD COLOR PALETTE TO YOUR MOOD BOARD

BUILD YOUR
FASHION
PORTFOLIO:
STEP
6 CREATE A CONCEPT BOARD

It is sometimes easy to get confused between a mood board and a concept board.
As I mentioned in my Step 4 post, even I started to create my first mood board for this
challenge and realized it was really more of a concept board and I had to start over.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MOOD BOARD AND A
CONCEPT BOARD?
The difference is this:

Sets the tone of your collection with the use of color and inspirational images. Your images need to tell the season of your
collection. They need to represent the aesthetic of your collection (high end, low end, luxury, or mid-tier). They can also show
where your inspiration came from if you have a theme such as Cuban art, or African Safari, etc.
MOOD BOARD:

Shows where you are getting your idea from. It might include inspirational images, swatches, or details. Is your collection about
mesh? Is it about color blocking? Is it about architectural design construction? It should also serve as a guide to the designer to
stay on track. Images need to convey the inspiration with details, silhouette, or fabric. As you start to sketch your designs you
should always be able to go back to your concept board and ask yourself “Does this design match back to the original concept?”
CONCEPT BOARD:

BUILD YOUR
FASHION
PORTFOLIO:
STEP
7 SKETCH YOUR IDEAS

Many people find this part of the process the most difficult.
It is easy to get inspired by pictures and colors.
However, when you have to put pen to pare it can be hard.
That is why is this step of the process I want you to relax.
This session is basically another brainstorming session.
I personally like to give myself a set period of time (maybe an hour) to just sketch out by hand whatever comes to
mind. I don’t like to give myself any inhibitions.
Follow these 5 steps below to get the most out of your brainstorming session and get a well thought out collection.
HOW TO GET STARTED SKETCHING FOR YOUR FASHION PORTFOLIO

1.Choose your materials. Sketchpad, pencils, colored pencils, markers, etc. Whatever you feel most comfortable.
5 STEPS TO SKETCHING IDEAS QUICKLY
Follow these 5 steps below to get the most out of your brainstorming session and get a well thought out collection.
1

Give yourself a set period of time to just let your ideas flow onto paper. I recommend an hour. During this time your sketches are
rough drafts. They do not have to be full on fashion illustrations. They just need to be basic sketches to get your idea across, and
with enough detail that you can recognize and remember what you liked about it. Some people sketch with bodies. I like to just do
flat sketching because to me it’s all about the garments. But do what you feel comfortable with.
2

Pull out your tear sheets of images that inspired you when you were creating your mood and concept boards and see if they help
to spark new ideas.
3

Once your hour is up, go through all of your sketches and see what pieces you love, and which pieces go together nicely to make
an outfit if applicable. If you are making a collection portfolio with full outfits decide how many you want to show.
4

From here you should know how many holes there are that you need to fill in. Do another short sketching session for the missing
pieces for your collection. For example: If you designed an awesome blouse and skirt, you may need to design some completer
pieces like a jacket. Keep doing this process until you have all the pieces for your collection.
5

Now is the hard part. As my mentors have told me in the past,
“you can’t love all your babies.”
Some designs are always better than others and it is time to weed out the undesirables. Look at each piece
objectively and ask yourself the following questions:
1.Do all of these designs go together to tell a story? Hopefully, they tell the story of your mood board and concept
board!
HOW TO EDIT YOUR DESIGNS LIKE A PRO

Do these designs have the correct aesthetic for my brand or customer base?
Is this outfit or garment special enough on its own? If not, what can I do to make it better?
Is my original concept being shown clearly through these designs?
Keep working through this process until you feel like you have the best collection you possibly can.
You should have a very clear understanding of what details go on each garment and what colors or
patterns you are going to use.
It should be so clear to you could start drawing your final fashion illustrations right out of your sketch
pad. If you’re not there yet go back and repeat the above steps.

BUILD YOUR
FASHION
PORTFOLIO:
STEP
8 FIND YOUR FABRICS

One of the best things you can add to your fashion portfolio is swatches of the materials you plan to
use.
People who work in the fashion industry are a textile group. We like to touch things and feel fabrics
and materials. And yes.
Many people (especially millennials) have started to resort to showing their fashion portfolios via
iPad or other digital versions.
But this can be a HUGE mistake! Even if your portfolio eventually ends up in a digital format you still
need to START in raw form and pick actual swatches of materials when you are designing anything.
For the last month, we have been going step-by-step through the process of creating a fashion
portfolio. If you are just joining us I highly recommend that you start from the beginning.
FIND YOUR FABRICS

The next step in creating a fashion portfolio is to find the fabrics that you want to use.
Depending on the type of collection you are doing this could mean woven fabric, knit fabric,
prints, or yarn.
The fabrics you choose will make your designs come to life! Your knowledge of textiles will help
you decide what the correct fabric content, yarn size, and fabric weight you need for your
designs.
There are several resources for you to find fabrics. Below are 5 places you can start.
RESOURCES FOR FINDING FABRICS AND MATERIALS FOR YOUR
FASHION PORTFOLIO

1.Local Fabric Stores – Go to fabric stores in your area and ask for cuttings of the fabrics that you
like.
2.Garments – Cut swatches from existing garments. This is also a good source for design details.
3.Vendor swatch cards – If you are presently working in the industry you may have access to
fabric cards given to you by mills to showcase their collections.
4.Trade Shows – Visit fabric trade shows and collect swatches from different vendors.
5.Swatch Houses – There is one more resource available to industry professionals. There are
swatch houses for both knits, wovens, and sweaters that sell swatches to a designer for
inspiration. However, these are very expensive.
RESOURCES FOR FINDING FABRICS AND MATERIALS FOR YOUR
FASHION PORTFOLIO

BUILD YOUR
FASHION
PORTFOLIO:
STEP
9 ADD FLAT SKETCHES

A flat sketch is a detailed sketch of a garment that shows construction details. It needs to
demonstrate how the garment is to be constructed including stitch detail, button or zipper closures,
or any other special details. A flat sketch does NOT include a body figure, an entire outfit or how it is
styled together.
A flat sketch should also be drawn in proper proportion to a REAL garment. It should not be stylized
or shown in any sort of exaggerated form. This type of sketch is usually drawn on the computer
using a program such as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw.
Other than in your fashion portfolio you will also find these types of drawing in a “tech pack”.
A tech pack is a technical package the designer gives to the factory, who will then follow the
instructions to making the photo garment.
WHAT IS A FLAT SKETCH?

It is customary to present both a front and back sketch of a garment. You can even show a close-up
view if it is necessary to explain a detail to the viewer.
Usually, flat sketches are shown in black and white. This is mostly because you want to make clear
any stitching details or construction details that are important for the garment. However, if a
garment does not have much detail some designers may choose to show a filled in body in color.
Below is an example of both options. Decide which is best for you and your collection.
Some designers will show their CADs or fabric swatches right next to the flat sketch of the garment
that they correspond with. This helps to make it clear to the viewer which fabric goes to each
garment and they can better visualize the finished product. You can even show a filled in body (the
flat sketch colored in) if you feel it helps show the pieces in your collection. Below are a couple
examples from my own portfolio to demonstrate these options.
HOW SHOULD I PRESENT MY FLAT SKETCHES IN MY PORTFOLIO?

HOW SHOULD I PRESENT MY FLAT SKETCHES IN MY PORTFOLIO?

BUILD YOUR
FASHION
PORTFOLIO:
STEP
10 FASHION ILLUSTRATIONS

How to make fashion design portfolio

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