Accessory Designer

An accessory designer uses his or her creativity and perceptive sense of fashion to create accessories that complement fashions currently in vogue or anticipated for upcoming seasons.  Accessory design is a vast field and many designers choose to specialize within a niche.  Specialties include hair ornaments, hat wear, scarves, ties, tie clips and cuff-links, belts, buckles, handbags, hosiery, socks, sunglasses and prescription frames, watches, and athletic accessories.

An accessory designer has multiple responsibilities: collaborating with a design team to sketch and design product with computer-assisted design software, producing samples or prototypes, making presentations, researching and purchasing materials, overseeing production, staff management, establishing business relationships with buyers, and travel for the purposes of fashion research.

Typically, a qualified accessory designer has graduated with a 2 or 4 year textiles or fashion design degree.  Employment opportunities are highly concentrated in New York and California with design firms. 

Approximately 50 percent of accessory designers are self-employed, using a variety of strategies to sell their product.