Fashion Designers
Design clothing and accessories. Create original designs or adapt fashion trends.
21,450 people do this job in the US. $80,960 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 78%
- 8%
- 14%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 10%. Today's estimate: 15%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 20 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Develop a group of products or accessories, and market them through venues such as boutiques or mail-order catalogs.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 21% | 3.1 work days6.7 h to 2.1 work weeks | 0%Half by Sep 2028 | |
| Sketch rough and detailed drawings of apparel or accessories, and write specifications such as color schemes, construction, material types, and accessory requirements.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 15% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Research the styles and periods of clothing needed for film or theatrical productions.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 15% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 9%Half by Aug 2027 | |
| Design custom clothing and accessories for individuals, retailers, or theatrical, television, or film productions.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 12% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1 work week | 2%Half by Apr 2028 | |
| Read scripts and consult directors and other production staff to develop design concepts and plan productions.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 6.7 h2.5 h to 2.1 work days | 10%Half by Jun 2027 | |
| Direct and coordinate workers involved in drawing and cutting patterns and constructing samples or finished garments.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h50 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Adapt other designers' ideas for the mass market.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Select materials and production techniques to be used for products.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h38 min to 4.2 h | 72%Half by now | |
| Attend fashion shows and review garment magazines and manuals to gather information about fashion trends and consumer preferences.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Examine sample garments on and off models, modifying designs to achieve desired effects.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.3 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Collaborate with other designers to coordinate special products and designs.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 1.7 h38 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Draw patterns for articles designed, cut patterns, and cut material according to patterns, using measuring instruments and scissors.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1 work day | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).