A fashion illustrator's portfolio should be easily portable and contain your best work.
The fashion world is a tough field to break into, with far more interested applicants than available jobs. When you look for a job in the fashion industry, having samples of your work to show a prospective client can be as important, if not more important, as your resume. The type of samples you need depends on the field you're interested in entering. Aspiring fashion illustrators need a portfolio of their best sketches, while designers need to show samples of clothing they have designed.
Choosing Samples
Your portfolio of work samples should contain only your best work. Include enough pieces to hold an employer's interest but not so many that he becomes bored looking at your work. Include a variety of different pieces, but tailor your samples to the specific clients. Don't take samples of lingerie to a children's manufacturer, for example. If you have samples of clothing you've designed, take detailed color photos of a person wearing your clothing. You can include either original sketches or high-quality photos of your work. If you include charcoal or pencil sketches, spray them with sealer to avoid smudging, according to Designer Direction, a fashion industry website.
Organizing Samples
If you're an illustrator or designer, organize your portfolio so that each drawing or photo of your work is displayed in a clear plastic protector. This protects your sketches, makes them easier to handle and makes them easy to rearrange without damage for different potential clients. If you have photos of clothing you've designed, include fabric swatches and specifications related to the design. Arrange your sketches so that they tell a story. Include rough sketches of some pieces that show the creative process you followed to evolve a piece from an idea to a finished product.
Going Digital
Work samples in fashion can be uploaded to a website or put on a disc to create a digital portfolio. Many prospective clients prefer digital samples that they can view at their leisure. Digital portfolios are easy to tailor to specific clients and also to rearrange when your work changes. Learn to use programs that allow you to make changes to your work online. Knowing use Computer Aided Design, better known as CAD, to display your work in different colors or to change design elements shows a client your versatility and your ability to work with technical elements of design.
Showing Your Samples
If you have an in-person interview with a potential client, be ready to discuss your work and how you created it. If you won't be present when a client views your work, include an introduction sheet at the beginning of your sketches that briefly describes why certain sketches are done certain ways, what the sketches were created for, your inspiration for certain pieces or other bits of information that show your personality and working techniques.
Tags: your work, your sketches, best work, clothing designed, fashion industry, makes them