FAQ: What Is The Difference Between a Fashion Designer And a Stylist?
One of the most common frequently asked questions by potential clients and people who are not in the fashion industry is: What is the difference between a fashion designer and a stylist?
This can be easily confusing from someone looking from the outside in because there are designers who start out as stylists and vice versa. We are going to give you a clear cut explanation of the differences between the two professions and their ideal responsibilities. Although in this article we are using the word stylist, this profession has many sectors that goes beyond the surface level responsibility we talk about here -depending on their skill level and background. But for your better understanding, here are the differences between a fashion designer and a stylist and their role to serve you as a client.
WHO IS A STYLIST AND WHAT A STYLIST (DEALING WITH FASHION/WARDROBE) DOES:
A stylist is a fashion professional who curates and organizes clothing, shoes and fashion accessories to create a cohesive, visually attractive look for a particular marketing project or private client. Here are some specific roles of a stylist.
A stylist provides visual solutions for ordinary people, media, publications and film using fashion wardrobe and props.
An experienced and highly-skilled stylist thinks in story form, the thought process is similar to an illustrator sketching out a scene from a play or movie.
A stylist develops a total look for a client and run errands to get all the pieces together - ideally they are problem solvers no matter what area of styling you are in (we will talk about that later).
Stylists create looks with their keenly developed eye for fashion, mixing the different clothing pieces and accessories to make a statement.
A stylist coordinates and styles the client according to the occasion or event using clothes, shoes and fashion accessories as well as advise the hairstyle, makeup, color palette. They bring an entire look together to bring a visual appeal.
A stylist is a person who selects and coordinates clothes, accessories, and makeup to suit the individual style, body shape, age and occasion of the wearer.
You can think of a stylist as a visualist, someone who compiles together various brands, styles, textures and designs into a fascinating combination while projecting the personal style or personality of the individual wearing it.
A stylist primarily only deals with the appearance of clothes. (Some stylists are skilled in sewing, drawing/sketching - ask about their background.)
Stylists are often the bridge between the fashion designer and the customer. They are responsible for understanding what a customer wants and needs, communicating these desires to a designer/tailor/seamstress, and then translating this information into a realistic garment that flatters the client.
A stylist is more about how various styles or clothes look on someone.
AREAS OF STYLING/ TYPES OF STYLISTS
There are regional differences and overlapping specialties in the areas of styling but here are the most common areas of styling when it comes to fashion and wardrobe.
Personal stylist - These professionals usually work with ordinary people who don’t belong to the glamour life. Their clients are mostly regular people who are not celebrities but have very busy schedules hence they(the clients) need a stylist just like a celebrity. These stylists focus on helping their clients on the day-to-day basics, business wear, closet organization, personal shopping and more. Personal stylists come in handy as they help people get their daily wear, making right by helping with clothing which best suits their body shapes and outfit options to shop from.
Fashion Stylist - A creative professional who excels in putting together looks for fashion magazines, runway shows, celebrities from all industries, photoshoots and editorials. They are the ones who showcase different designers’ exclusive collections in their magazines as a part of advertisements. Their clientele are majorly big icons, celebrities, high-end fashion brands and fashion models. Fashion stylists have a keen eye for details and they are upbeat on fashion to be able to flexibly work with different designers and their working aesthetics trends, and be updated with trends . The speciality titles of fashion stylist are:
Editorial
E-commerce
Photoshoot
Runway/Fashion Show stylist
Celebrity stylist
Wardrobe Styling - Wardrobe and fashion styling can easily be confused. Wardrobe styling for lifestyle photography is a more practical example, it also involves finding clothing to be in advertisements, commercials, and other photographs that aren’t selling clothes. The stylists in this niche dress the talent in generic items that don’t distract from the featured product or concept. You will usually see this role in adverts, film and television with the costume designer.
Off-figure Styling - Styling clothing off-figure is a large part of the catalog (which has now converted to flat lay styling most commonly known on Instagram and Pinterest) and editorial (magazine) styling. Presentations for clothing not shown on models include stacks, hangers, mannequins, laydowns, and lifelike wall styling. There are specific techniques to create a natural look, while showing garment details, color selections and fabric texture.
Image Consultant - Image consultants are more like personal stylists but they also provide services regarding soft skills and personality development keeping a note of your overall personality growth. An Image consultant works on your image building and personality and styling come as an add-on. Personal stylists solely work on outfit solutions whereas Image consultants specialize in personal grooming, etiquette, and personality development. The first impression needs to be the right impression as customers and people generally face difficulties in expressing themselves through the way they look, hence they hire an Image consultant who helps them look their best versions.
WHO IS A FASHION DESIGNER - THE ROLE OF A FASHION DESIGNER:
Both the stylist and fashion designer require a precise understanding of fashion and trends however the role of a fashion designer demands a highly technical level of knowledge of fashion trends, sustainable practices of materials, and design production. Since they are the ones constructing the garment into a final product to be worn, there is a lot that goes into making clothes, making sure the fabric is suitable for the garment, measurements, sewing the raw materials together, etc. Here are some of the specific roles of a fashion designer.
Fashion designers create wearable fashion products. They have a more in-depth understanding of stitching, structural design, fabric functionality, decorative design, pattern-making, sewing techniques, fabric properties and content, the list goes on.
A fashion designer is someone who creates new clothing and accessory designs from scratch.
You can think of a fashion designer as an innovator or creator who innovates new designs or shapes for a garment. The shape can be too over-the-top for someone to wear to a professional job and some designs are passable for you to wear.
Fashion designers take an idea from its conception to its final product by designing clothes that will sell in stores.
Fashion designers are more focused on how the clothes look on their hangers or mannequin as they are developing the product.
AREAS OF FASHION DESIGNING
Apparel - Apparel designers focus on creating various clothing items for customers. Since there are many types of clothing pieces to create, apparel designers typically pursue specialties within this field. They often create different styles for consumers all over the world, from celebrity dresses to workers' uniforms.
Haute couture - These designers typically work for more high-profile and wealthier consumers. They often create customized and one-of-a-kind apparel according to each individual customer’s needs and preferences. Haute couture designers usually have a smaller clientele, as they regularly work with the same customers to take their measurements and design clothing pieces for upcoming events according to the clients' specific style and preferences.
Ready-to-wear - Also known as pret-a-porter fashion designers, these professionals create apparel for groups of people. These designers create outfits with the correct material, presentation and cut. In the case of these fashion designers, their customers request and manufacture their clothes in smaller and more segmented groups. This ensures that the apparel fits the specifications of each customer without being considered a custom-made design.
Bespoke - Often refers to custom, made-to-order clothing. When you commission bespoke fashion items to a designer, you're giving them specific measurements for a clothing item. It's the complete opposite of wasteful mass production you find with fast fashion.
Footwear - Footwear designers create new shoes, like sneakers, flats or high heels. Many professionals who pursue this field can specialize in certain areas, like athletic or formal footwear. Employees who work in this field typically follow apparel trends to ensure they match well with the shoe designs they create. They may collaborate closely with apparel designers to build complementary designs. Some footwear designers may create custom designs for individual consumers, especially sneaker designers.
Accessory - These designers create jewelry, like bracelets, earrings and necklaces or accessory items like scarves, hats, handbags and glasses. Accessory designers are typically responsible for creating captivating and fashionable designs for items that aren't considered apparel or clothing. They typically visit design conventions or other related industry events to meet with manufacturers to purchase individual materials and pieces to build whole accessory designs.
In hindsight and to summarize the points detailed into plain terms, a stylist is the person that selects and coordinates your entire wardrobe style, from head to toe while a fashion designer is the person that constructs an individual garment or fashion accessory.
MIIEN CONSULTANCY AND STYLING SERVICES
MIIEN Consultancy provides professional styling services to everyone (both men and women) who understand the indisputable relationship between appearance and perception, looking to upgrade their image while still maintaining their personal style preference. To help get a grasp of what to expect, fashion and personal style consultant Mikara Reid has a ready to go look-book to help clients choose from different collections what outfits best suit their personality and expresses their style.
The Look-Book is constantly updated to include emerging trends while including the classics for those who aren’t into trendy looks, the curated collections cater to every temperament of individuals. Another super helpful guide to answer a lot of questions people often have about fashion and personal style is “What’s Your Miien! ?” by Mikara Reid. To anyone looking to have a solid grasp of fashion styling, the book is an eye opener to all the details you’ve been missing out.
At Miien consultancy, everything you require to start an awesome personal style journey is at your finger tips and you definitely can’t get it wrong by scheduling a session to learn more. According to Miuccia Prada: “What you wear is how you present yourself to the world especially today when human contacts are so quick, Fashion is instant language”.
