# Fashion Designers

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

- **SOC code:** 27-1022.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-1022-00
- **Also known as:** Apparel Designer, Costume Designer, Designer, Fashion Designer, Apparel and Accessories Designer, Fashion Design Contractor, Fashion Graphic Designer, Fashion Stylist
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Sketch rough and detailed drawings of apparel or accessories, and write specifications such as color schemes, construction, material types, and accessory requirements.
- Examine sample garments on and off models, modifying designs to achieve desired effects.
- Determine prices for styles.
- Confer with sales and management executives or with clients to discuss design ideas.
- Select materials and production techniques to be used for products.
- Provide sample garments to agents and sales representatives, and arrange for showings of sample garments at sales meetings or fashion shows.
- Direct and coordinate workers involved in drawing and cutting patterns and constructing samples or finished garments.
- Develop a group of products or accessories, and market them through venues such as boutiques or mail-order catalogs.
- Identify target markets for designs, looking at factors such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status.
- Draw patterns for articles designed, cut patterns, and cut material according to patterns, using measuring instruments and scissors.
- Collaborate with other designers to coordinate special products and designs.
- Attend fashion shows and review garment magazines and manuals to gather information about fashion trends and consumer preferences.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Design _(knowledge)_
- Originality _(ability)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Speaking _(essential_skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(essential_skill)_
- Written Comprehension _(ability)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Fluency of Ideas _(ability)_
- Active Learning _(essential_skill)_
- Social Perceptiveness _(transferable_skill)_
- Coordination _(transferable_skill)_
- Judgment and Decision Making _(transferable_skill)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_
- Time Management _(Common Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Social Perceptiveness _(Common Skill)_
- Active Learning _(Common Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Negotiation _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Adobe Creative Cloud software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Adobe Illustrator _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Adobe InDesign _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Adobe Photoshop _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Adobe Acrobat _(hot technology)_
- Autodesk Revit _(hot technology)_
- JavaScript _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 70th percentile (High) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 62nd percentile (Moderate) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 63rd percentile (Moderate) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 84th percentile (High) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 15th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** yes — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 2.0% growth (About average); 2.3k annual openings; 25.7k → 26.2k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $80,690; 20,910 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 38% automation, 45% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 4.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** task iteration.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Read scripts and consult directors and other production staff to develop design concepts and plan productions. _(1.2% of measured AI use; directive)_
- Sketch rough and detailed drawings of apparel or accessories, and write specifications such as color schemes, construction, material types, and accessory requirements. _(0.6% of measured AI use; task iteration)_
- Design custom clothing and accessories for individuals, retailers, or theatrical, television, or film productions. _(0.5% of measured AI use; task iteration)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me read scripts and consult directors and other production staff to develop design concepts and plan productions.
- Help me sketch rough and detailed drawings of apparel or accessories, and write specifications such as color schemes, construction, material types, and accessory requirements.
- Help me design custom clothing and accessories for individuals, retailers, or theatrical, television, or film productions.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

---
_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-1022-00_