Best fashion design classes: From concept to construction

Want to get a taste of what it’s like to walk in the shoes of a fashion designer?

Whether you’re discovering fashion design as a creative hobby or intend to pursue this art form from a more professional angle, a convenient way to start learning is by taking a few fashion design classes online.

Need help figuring out where to look? Our guide features some of the best fashion design classes covering everything from concept-building and design fundamentals to construction, brand creation, mixed-medium work, and more.

You can check them all out below!

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Best fashion design classes online

From 101 lessons for beginners to more comprehensive fashion design courses on technique, construction, and mixed-medium work, find the best fashion design classes online to support you as you discover this art form.

Marc Jacobs Teaches Fashion Design

Want to learn from the best? You got it. Check out this fashion design class taught by the one and only Marc Jacobs himself. 

The 11-time CFDA award-winner will guide you through his creative process throughout almost five hours of lessons. The goal? To inspire you to push fashion to the next level and create innovative, impactful trends. This is the ideal pick for upcoming fashion designers!

Marc Jacobs will cover design essentials, show you how to select fabric, create shapes and silhouettes, and develop detailed fashion illustration sketches that convey your vision. And, of course, you’ll learn lots of techniques to construct your garments.

You’ll also be getting lots of insider tips from a pro, which will help you dodge lots of trial and error down the line. Note that this isn’t as hands-on as other fashion classes. However, the fact that it feels more like a conversation between friends is what makes it especially unique and engaging.

After all, MasterClass is the crème de la crème of online learning! Want to get a taste of what to expect? Check out a class sample here! A MasterClass subscription costs ~$200 a year. That said, while pricey, remember you’ll have premium content at your fingertips and A-list instructors to learn all you need to know.

Fashion Design: Start to Finish

Looking for hours of learning time to master the ins and outs of fashion design? This CreativeLive class is an excellent choice for ambitious fashion designers getting ready to leave their footprint in the industry.

CreativeLive courses are taught by highly-qualified professionals in front of an audience in a lecture-style format. This makes lessons more dynamic and interactive — you can even expect to catch a few Q&A sessions with the audience. It’s a really fun option for anyone wanting to learn fashion design online!

This course is taught by Jay Calderin, the director of Creative Marketing and teacher at the School of Fashion Design. For almost 11 hours, Jay will demonstrate the fashion design process from start to finish, concept to construction, with lots of guidance and advice on how to market your collection.

You’ll learn skills such as mood board creation, fashion illustration, pattern-making, construction, branding, and industry positioning. This is an excellent pick for fashion business students and creative entrepreneurs, and a great match if you’re looking for all-inclusive courses vs. purchasing multiple classes.

One of the highlights of this course is Jay’s in-depth take on the art of fashion illustration, making it also very appealing for sketchers and illustrators venturing into this realm. You can purchase this course individually or sign up for a monthly/yearly CreativeLive Creator Pass. This will unlock over 1500 courses for a single fee!

Fashion 101 | Design & Styling- Textures, Shaping, & More

Udemy is another learning platform worth giving a shot when looking for affordable online fashion courses — this Fashion 101 class taught by fashion stylist and costume designer Veronika Lipatova is one of our favorites for beginners. 

Suppose you want to learn the basics to start a collection or are looking for styling tips. In that case, this almost two-hour-long Udemy course provides straightforward guidelines and lots of additional resources to get you up and running. Better yet, once you purchase this course, you’ll have access to this content forever. 

During this time, your teacher will cover how to create a mood board, dress, and design for different body types, work with patterns to create unique looks, accessorize, go over the fundamentals of shape and texture, and will even teach you a little fashion lingo! 

Veronika also provides lots of visual examples and downloadable learning material to ensure fashion designers in the making keep up despite their skill level. Again, this is also a great class to learn styling tips and how to mix-match and accessorize clothing you already own. 

Essentially, this is a better pick if you’re interested in pursuing fashion design as a creative hobby vs. professionally. That said, more experienced, serious designers will find this course too introductory. In that case, I advise some of the more in-depth or niche fashion classes lined up in our guide. 

Upcycling for Beginners: Sustainable Fashion Design

Upcycling is undeniably one of the most prominent trends in fashion now. Whether or not you’re an experienced fashion designer, this Domestika fashion course will give you a comprehensive look into the principles of sustainable fashion.

Over the course of four hours, fashion designer and upcycling master Selina Sanders will show you how to use mundane fabrics and household items, from curtains and pillowcases to tea towels and tablecloths, to create impactful garments — all you need is creativity and some sewing skills!

Selina will teach you to see the potential in different textiles to then transform them into beautiful clothing that reflects your style. For your class project, you’ll design a vintage-inspired puff sleeve blouse from scratch with existing materials and assemble your final piece as your teacher guides you through every step.

In addition, your teacher will discuss how to care for and preserve your upcycled garments to make them last. Note that having basic sewing skills will be required to complete your blouse. Not feeling too confident about the whole needle and thread part? We advise looking into these beginner online sewing classes!

This course can be bought individually on Domestika: you’ll be able to keep class content and resources forever. Or if preferred, accessed through the platform’s subscription plan, Domestika Plus. You can choose to pay monthly or yearly, and enjoy perks such as 1000+ free courses — including more fashion classes!

Patternmaking Basics: The Bodice Sloper

If you’re looking for more technical online fashion courses, this Craftsy class hosted by Suzy Furrer will walk you through the essentials of draping (or moulage) to help you master this crucial fashion design technique like a pro. 

During this five-hour class, your instructor will show you how to create 3D patterns by manipulating and pinning fabric on a mannequin. This will help you learn how to combine material, shape, and fit. While you can develop a moulage for different body parts, this class covers making a bodice sloper. 

You’ll learn how to design for various torso lengths, widths, shapes, and bust points. Mind you, this functions as a blueprint for your final design, so aspects like dynamics or seams aren’t key during this part of the process. Suzy will also show you design options and how to refine fitting as you go.

This is a thorough, in-depth class to learn how to design and craft women’s clothing. Again, this is a more technical course, so best suited for fashion designers moving on from the basics or for beginners looking to complement their creative skills with essential techniques from the get-go. 

You can purchase this class individually, but we highly recommend taking advantage of Craftsy’s Premium yearly membership for the best deal: it will cost you only $2.49! This will give you open access to the platform’s content, including more of Suzy’s fashion design classes. See them all, here! 

Introduction to Fashion Draping: Create Custom Womenswear

Speaking of womenswear and draping, this Domestika course covers just that, this time through the lens of fashion designer Reagen Evans. This draping class is slightly shorter than the previous Craftsy course and best for absolute beginners.

For over two hours, Reagen will demonstrate how to design and construct the outer shell of your garment, translate your vision onto a paper pattern, and transform it with lining and fastenings. The class is very introductory, so keep this in mind if you’re already in the intermediate zone.

You’ll learn the process of taking designs from design to construction. Reagen will guide you through choosing the best fabrics, positioning your mannequin, pinning basic shapes before creation, and annotating fabric to mark crucial elements of your design.

Taking down your pinned draping, transferring it to paper, cutting and sewing your final designs, and applying finishes will all be covered. This is a great option if you’re looking for a straightforward, easy-to-follow online fashion design class to learn technique: draping is pretty important and this is a great place to learn!

In addition, buying this class individually will give you access to all the course resources forever! Interested in taking more fashion design classes on the platform? Signing up for a Domestika Plus membership will give you free access to thousands of Domestika courses, completion certificates, and more.

Fashion Design: Painting and Embroidering Garments

This Best Seller fashion design class on Domestika is taught by designer and textile artist Ana María Restrepo, who will teach you how to transform clothing into art with painting and embroidery techniques.

You’ll learn to apply simple tools and methods to breathe new life into garments that seem a little “blah.” This is a really creative and innovative way to revamp pieces you find at the thrift shop — or your grandmother’s closet.

Ana María will review all the tools you’ll need, teach you how to establish a theme for your work, assemble a cohesive mood board, and choose color palettes. Then, the fun part: you will learn the principles of embroidery and painting on fabric!

For your class project, you’ll choose a textile piece of your preference and apply the techniques you’ve learned. Your teacher will also share tips on adding more elements to enhance your piece and advise you on best practices to preserve your garments.

This course is ideal for beginners, especially because it requires only a few inexpensive tools and materials. It’s also a great option to complement any embroidery classes you’re taking and a practical way to put leftover materials from your embroidery kit to use! Looking for fabric paint? Find our favorite fabric spray paints here.

Introduction to Adobe Illustrator for Fashion Design

The last online fashion design courses are some of our favorites if you want to learn how to combine your love for garment design with some of the best digital software around.

First up is this comprehensive Domestika Basics course for beginners featuring textile designer Mila Moura. Throughout five hours, your instructor will cover the ins and outs of using Adobe Illustrator to whip up stunning garment designs.

You’ll learn this software’s main functionalities, how to vectorize sketches, edit and draw different garments, experiment with patterns/colors, and even develop technical guidelines for manufacturing — perfect if you’re creating a collection or want to master skills that will help you meet the demands of this competitive industry.

Besides fashion design, this software is incredibly convenient for exploring fashion illustration. It’s also a refreshing alternative for old-school fashion designers to test out; it’s quite different than using pencil and paper!

This Best Seller Domestika course includes 25 downloadable resources you can keep if you buy this class individually. Or, enjoy perks with a Domestika Plus membership, including completion certificates and open access to 1000+ courses.

Creation of a Streetwear Brand

Streetwear is undeniably one of the biggest fashion trends influencing the industry and runways for the past decades. In this Domestika class, you’ll learn how to develop your first streetwear brand and collection from scratch.

Your instructor and designer, Smithe, will guide you through each step for four hours. During this time, you’ll apply digital software like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, as well as more manual processes to design a five-piece collection: a T-shirt, sweatshirt, hoodie, patches, and stickers.

You’ll create a mood board on Adobe Illustrator and play with different styles and influences. Then you’ll sketch each garment and digitize them with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Next, you’ll apply them to mock-ups, test color options, and print your work.

Besides its creative component, this class is extremely resourceful since it’s curated to help you face real-life scenarios and industry demands. For example, Smithe will teach you how to do a product photoshoot and lookbook as well as show you how to set up a basic online store to market your collection.

If you’re looking for something more niche, I absolutely recommend this course, especially if you’re interested in incorporating digital tools into your fashion design process. That said, having basic graphic design skills and access to software is advised.

Digital Streetwear Design in CLO 3D and Cinema 4D

Digital fashion artist Stephy Fung brings you the future of fashion design in her comprehensive Domestika course Digital Streetwear Design in CLO 3D and Cinema 4D.

In this class, you’ll learn how to design digital clothing from scratch with software to create mind-blowing animated, 3D outfits with realistic textures, patterns, and motion — including backdrops and scenes to set the tone of your work.

This course relies heavily on software, so you must have access and basic knowledge of the following tools: CLO 3D, Cinema 4D, Substance Painter, and After Effects. If you’re a digital artist or an old-school fashion designer looking into new methods, this is an excellent course to have fun with a new approach.

Stephy is a streetwear designer; therefore, this is the angle from which she’ll guide you through the course. First, you’ll assemble a mood board, sketch your outfit, and select an avatar as your model (awesome, right?). Then, you’ll learn how to design digital garments and create UV maps to simulate the clothing’s motions.

You’ll wrap up by adding textures and design elements, importing your avatar, building a 3D scene, and working on color correction. This is the perfect course if you’re fascinated by the creative potential of tech and curious about taking your fashion design skills into the future!

Are fashion design classes online worth it?

Fashion design classes online are a convenient and more affordable alternative to expensive in-person workshops or lengthy degrees. Will you learn everything you need to know with a single fashion course online? 

Well, that depends on your goal. 

Complete beginners looking for new creative hobbies and interested in fashion design will benefit most from this option: it’s cost-effective, just a laptop screen away, and lessons are easy to follow. 

Depending on the platform of your choice, you can purchase courses individually or sign up for subscriptions — many of which offer very reasonable membership fees. Nowadays, the best learning platforms provide a pretty good replacement for traditional classrooms!

In return, open access to numerous fashion design classes or keeping class content and resources forever are some of the perks beginners can take advantage of. However, keep in mind that these conditions will apply differently per platform. 

But of course, online fashion design classes also favor more advanced creatives! Apart from 101 courses for novices and hobbyists, there are lots of niche-style and in-depth technical classes curated for more serious designers.

For example, many courses provide insight into how to build a complete collection, branding, marketing strategies, and more. These classes are excellent, easy-to-access resources that can support designers with a professional goal or ambition without burning a hole in their pocket. 

One of the most significant advantages of online fashion classes is that most invite you to take on a project with the guidance of a field expert. The best part? You can work at your own pace without worrying about deadlines or keeping up with classmates. 

All of the recommended fashion design classes and platforms in our guide provide a learn-as-you-go philosophy that allows you to go through projects and class sections whenever and however best suits you. Our only advice is to check class duration beforehand to have an idea of what to expect; some courses can go up to 10+ hours! 

And of course, it’s always important to understand what’s on offer before signing up for a class. Is it too basic? Is it too technical? Are you looking to learn new approaches or trends? Aiming to incorporate technology or more artisan methods? Make sure you select options that will engage and motivate you to keep learning.

Lastly, we suggest checking out class trailers to get an overall feel of teaching styles, project types, and necessary materials. For instance, if you’re interested in exploring fashion design with software, ensure you can access these programs as well as a computer or tablet. 

Tip: before paying a pretty penny, remember that most Adobe software like Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop offer free trials, so be sure to look into these options first to keep your learning experience as budget-friendly as possible! 

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That’s it for our list of the best fashion design classes online! Do you have any more recommendations? Let everyone know in the comments below!