Portfolio RequirementsNOTE: This is a summary of portfolio requirements.Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree Portfolio submissions for Fashion Design consist of: a design test, a sewing test, a written essay, and a portfolio cover page. Construction knowledge should be represented in both your design sketches and garment images. Originality, creativity, and design aesthetic are valued. PART ONE: Design Test You will be required to create a mood/inspiration page for a selection of original mix-and-match garment designs. You will also be required to submit sketches of your original fashion design artwork. PART TWO: Sewing Test Prospective fashion design students are asked to submit photographs of garments they have sewn to demonstrate knowledge of construction. Originality, creativity, and design aesthetic are valued. PART THREE: Written Essays You will be required to provide a short essay (250 words or less). Please respond thoughtfully and note that your answers do not replace the essay/academic history that you are required to submit as part of your FIT/SUNY application. Tips on How to Prepare a PortfolioAlthough each Art and Design major at FIT has specific portfolio requirements and may require a Design Test, the following will help you prepare your portfolio. Your portfolio should consist primarily of work done from direct observation, i.e. drawing and painting from what you see. These drawings might include self-portraits, still lifes, figure drawing, landscapes, or interiors. You should include work done in a variety of media like charcoal, pencil, watercolor, and acrylic and oil paints. We encourage you to include a sketchbook as part of your submission.

You should already have strong drawing and two-dimensional design skills, as well as an understanding of color and composition. Composition is very important; in many ways, it is at the heart of all of our Art and Design majors. For example, Interior Design is all about moving through a room and the relationship between one room and another. Communication Design concentrates the way your eye moves across the kind of graphic image used in advertising. Fashion Design is about the flow and movement of a garment on the body. Your artwork should reflect your understanding of how to move the eye across a piece of paper or canvas using line and color, light and dark, balance and rhythm, all of which help form the concepts of design and composition.

While we encourage work from direct observation, we do not discourage any work that reflects your creativity and sense of design. Computer art may supplement your portfolio, but it should not be its main focus.

You do not need to purchase an expensive portfolio case to display your artwork, but your submission should be presented in a neat and professional manner. Let your art teacher help you make a selection from your most recent work. Consider your portfolio a visual essay about yourself, and dont forget your sketchbook!

If you are a high school student, you may want to consider taking a class through our Precollege Programs. These courses are designed to help you develop a portfolio, let you experience what FIT is all about, and introduce you to the industries our majors support.

If you are out of high school and want some instruction in developing your portfolio, you may take a general art class through FITs School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Portfolio RequirementsApplicants must submit two presentation boards as described below: Submit one apparel and one home furnishings board. -OR- Submit two boards from the same area of interest mentioned above. FABRIC STYLING BOARDS

Boards should be executed on black illustration board or black foam core board. Boards should be approximately 12" x 17". Select a season and a theme for each board. Each board should have at least six (6) patterned fabric swatches and at least six (6) more solid color swatches. (12 swatches minimum) The fabric swatches can be scanned or you can use actual fabric. The solid color swatches can be paint chip samples from any paint store. Boards should have photos, pictures from magazines, or your own art work illustrating the theme. CDs of boards may be submitted for mail in portfolios. The following is an example of a possible board:

floral spring apparel theme 6 floral fabric swatches 6 solid color chips that pick up the colors in the fabric swatches a selection of pictures relating to the theme of the fabrics you would NOT use dark, winter colors if this is a Spring board you would NOT use woolen fabrics if this is a Spring board mount these components imaginatively and neatly

Before you put your portfolio together It sounds terribly clich but dont leave this to the last minute, gather work for six months to a year leading up to your application. Institutions differ in portfolio requirements, but an average of 12 pages of work is a good aim. Gather twice as much work and analyse which examples are the best. Work from several school subjects is acceptable, Textiles, Design, Graphics, Art Photography or any other creative subject.

Unfortunately the current school art system results in hundreds of students with similar work. Myself and fellow Designer Direction writer Hannah Mcardle went to our fashion interview with near identical paintings, and believe me we werent alone. Therefore I advise you to apply with as much extra curricular work as possible to distinguish yourself. If you are an art or textiles student you may want to take this work to you school tutors and seek their advice.

What sort of work could go in a fashion portfolio? * Fashion illustration * Designs and sketches * Paintings and drawings * Photos of sculptures or 3D art * Graphics working drawings * Photography * Computer aided design * Photographs of garments you have designed

Full Figure Gouache Portfolio Example Front - Jason Tapuai-KukaFull Figure Gouache Back Portfolio Example - Jason Tapuai-KukaAbyss Bliss Miromoda - Melody & Jason

The big cut Lay your work out on a large table and analyse which pieces are the best, your decisions should be based on quality and range.

1. You may be asked to explain your work in an interview, so dont be tempted to put in pointless work for the sake of filling space, make sure you feel comfortable talking about any work you include.

2. If you have entered any competitions or won any awards then this work should also be included.

3. A combination of hand done and computer-generated work will show versatility, as will photographs of finished garments as well as sketches.

4. Dont disregard drafts or rough sketches, Its important to show a working process. Scanned pages from sketchbooks can be just as interesting as finished paintings.

Portfolio Example - Amanda Haxton

Presenting your portfolio Presentation is key, its just as important as the work itself. Keep in mind you are selling yourself so have pride in your work.

1. Decide how you are going to present your work, again researching different institutes will help, some may expect work in a A4 size format, others in A3.

2. Next, decide whether you will present in a computer layout or hand done, either is acceptable but make sure your portfolio is consistent, dont layout one page on the computer and another with glue and scissors. If you decide to layout on the computer scan or photograph your hand done work in high quality.

3. Fashion forecasting magazines like Collezioni and Textile View can be a great source of layout inspiration. Consider using fabric swatches alongside sketches, or a series of different viewpoints of photographed pictures.

4. A standard black clear file is perfectly acceptable for portfolios, a file with removable pages means you can easily tailor your portfolio for different institutes. If you choose to make your own folder keep it simple and classic, avoid glitter or any decoration thats too fussy, I like to cover my collection folders in a fabric that matches the work inside, its simple, and ties the whole thing together.

Portfolio Example Sketch - Amanda Haxton5. Use high quality card as your portfolio may be passed through many hands and the last thing you want is rips or dog-eared corners.

6. Hand done work in charcoal, pastels, or pencil should be sprayed with sealer to avoid smudging.

7. The top portfolio tip from my AUT fashion tutors was be wary of coloured paper. Black or white is best as it doesnt distract from your work that said black sucks colour and should be used carefully, done right it can make work look fantastic, but look carefully at your colours and decide what background you think will suit it best.

And there you have it. Now you are armed with everything you need to create an amazing fashion portfolio, to help you secure a spot at your future design school.

PortfoliosA portfolio is a valuable organizer of student projects and assignments. Envelopes, files, binders, or foldersserve to compile information over a term for each student. Each student should have a portfoliorepresenting his or her work during the course. Students may construct portfolios in which to keep theirwork and assessments throughout the term. Two portfolios may be valuable: a working portfolio to collectideas observations, notes and critiques, and a presentation portfolio to maintain completed work. Bykeeping track of this material, students are able to monitor their level of achievement. Additions to andrevisions of the portfolio should be done at the end of each module.When a teacher examines a student's portfolio in order to make a decision regarding student progress, theinformation it contains may becomes documented evidence for the evaluation.A daily journal may also become a part of a working portfolio as a means of tracking the students use of timeand to record progress on ideas that are being developed. This will provide the student with a focus for selfdirectedor independent learning as well as an anecdotal record for part of the students evaluation.A portfolio related to Clothing, Textiles and Fashion may contain: sewing samples, fashion designillustrations, and photos of completed sewing projects.

How do i make a fashion theme board? im an inspiring fashion designer since 5th grade. Im now an 18 year old senior who will be going to study fashion design at college. Many have seen my portfolio and say i have a lot of potential. I need help making a theme board can someone help me please. Im trying to get discovered!just do loads of designing, basically do your own project, its a bit like a collage of your own drawings, quick models, prototypes, actual items you have manufactured with arrows and quick notes to help explain. use colours and pictures you find inspiring but make note of where you got them from. use your potfolio and grow from it what could you have developed, improved on? find a designer you love and study them that will help me you become more knowledgable. also investigate into peoples blogs, its amazing what people will put out there, it could inspire you. or you could do a blog.... whatever you do good luck hun!!! :) also learn the basics of art, architecture, sculpture...etc it will help you think practically and a little out of the box.

How to Create a successful PortfolioYour guide to creating a successful portfolio... A strong portfolio is a key step to employment as a Fashion Designer. It is important to make your portfolio professional and concise but also of a high enough standard to give you the advantage in interviews.Leading fashion consultancy Smith & Pye, specialise in the introduction of fashion companies to the worlds best fashion designers. Smith & Pye work with clients including; Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, Mulberry, Burberry, Topshop, ASOS and Paul Smith.Here are their top tips on creating a portfolio.What to include in your Portfolio: Creative research work remember your references should not just come from fashion, these should be broad, displaying your knowledge of other areas of society and culture. Development it is important to show detailed development of a concept into a collection or piece of clothing. Your design work should be coherent and you must be able to explain and justify the concept. Drawing Figures should be well drawn and neatly presented. It is better to use a template figure and repeat it than to include really bad illustrations. Informative Flat Drawings it is an important skill for production in the fashion industry to develop a clear and concise flat drawing technique. A successful flat drawing is in correct proportion and displays the appropriate details for manufacture i.e. seams and fastenings.Appropriate work for the company interviewing you should compile a portfolio of the work most appropriate to the company you are seeing. E.g. if you are interviewing with a tailoring company, make sure most of your folio is tailoring.How to Display your Portfolio: Work should be in reverse chronological order, i.e. the most recent work at the front. Volume of work your portfolio should be edited and concise. This keeps the interest of the interviewer and shows respect for their time. Keep it Neat! Your actual folio should be in good condition. Size A3 or A4 size is always best! Any larger is unnecessary and proves awkward to look at, manage or carry Fill every page by this we mean do not have any blank pages in your portfolio. Keep it up to date When looking for a job bear in mind that your portfolio is not only a record of what you have done but more importantly an indication of where you want to go.Things not to include in your Portfolio: Fine Art With the exception of your research work there should be no life drawing or still life drawings included. Dont include actual garments as a general rule of thumb, portfolios should be 2D work only. Busy backgrounds remember to keep your background pages clear, dont overlay designs on to patterned backgrounds. This is distracting and indicates a lack of confidence in your design work. No printed material by this we mean dont include CVs, certificates or press cuttings within your portfolio. If you have built up a selection of press cuttings bring these separately in a folder specially dedicated to this purpose.Our main motivation is GOOD DESIGN. We want innovative designers who are creative but are also grounded and have a strong awareness of the direction that fashion is taking.There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to putting together a portfolio but this advice is based on what we look for and it seems to be the winning formula of those portfolios which are successful in interviews.It is important for you to understand that your portfolio is a communication tool. It should be easy to read and you must be able to explain it - it should only include work that you are happy with and can defend.Ultimately, an employer is looking for designers who are talented but also passionate about design and committed to a career as a designer.Advice courtesy of Smith & Pye.Visit Smith & Pye for more information on getting into Fashion Design.