# Fashion Designers

US SOC code 27-1022. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/27-1022

Also called: Apparel designer, Clothing designer, Textile designer, Footwear designer, Accessories designer.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **21,450** US fashion designers, with median pay of **$80,960** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **22,030**, in May 2019, close to the May 2025 count. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://guides.loc.gov/fashion-industry/history) of **2,500** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for fashion designers: 3D garment simulation, 2009 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects little or no change in employment from 2025 to 2035 (+0.1%). Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-1022&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **37.5%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.021** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.021. BLS counted **17,370** of these jobs in May 2013 and **21,450** in May 2025 (+23%, a change derived by Future History).

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Fashion Designers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1858
- Latest US employment: 21,450 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $80,960 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +0.1% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [20]

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 2,500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Library of Congress [1] |
| 1950 | 8,500 (estimate) | $3,600 (estimate) | Est., Garment District NYC [2] |
| 1990 | 18,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., AllAmerican.org [3] |
| 2003 | 11,270 | $52,860 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 12,100 | $55,840 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 12,980 | $60,860 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 15,670 | $62,610 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 16,460 | $62,810 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 16,920 | $61,160 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 15,780 | $64,260 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 15,060 | $64,530 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 16,010 | $64,690 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 16,560 | $62,860 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 17,370 | $63,760 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 17,840 | $64,030 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 19,040 | $63,670 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 19,230 | $65,170 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 18,940 | $67,420 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 19,750 | $72,720 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 22,030 | $73,790 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 21,050 | $75,810 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 19,310 | $77,450 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 20,560 | $76,700 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 19,940 | $79,290 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 20,910 | $80,690 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 21,450 | $80,960 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (87)

### Employment series

1. [Library of Congress — Fashion Industry: A Resource Guide — Historical Resources (garment district formation context)](https://guides.loc.gov/fashion-industry/history), Library of Congress
2. [Garment District NYC — History: the Garment District in its heyday, 1950s (100,000+ manufacturing jobs, 75% of US women's apparel)](https://garmentdistrict.nyc/history), Garment District NYC
3. [AllAmerican.org — State of American Clothing Manufacturing Report (apparel manufacturing employment 900,000 in 1990; sharp decline through 2011)](https://allamerican.org/research/clothing-manufacturing-report/), AllAmerican.org
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [Garment District NYC — History: Seventh Avenue fashion industry scale and workforce in the 1940s-1950s](https://garmentdistrict.nyc/history), Garment District NYC
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
7. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

8. [Britannica — Charles Frederick Worth: Father of Haute Couture (atelier system, live mannequins, seasonal collections)](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Frederick-Worth), Britannica
9. [House of Worth — Wikipedia (atelier growth from 50 to 1,200 employees; couture house structure)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Worth), Wikipedia
10. [Garment District NYC — History: Seventh Avenue in the 1930s-1960s, design studios and manufacturing ecosystem](https://garmentdistrict.nyc/history), Garment District NYC
11. [MNopedia — Custom Dressmaking, 1880-1920: transition from custom to ready-to-wear, pattern industrialization](https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/custom-dressmaking-1880-1920), Minnesota Historical Society
12. [History of Fashion Design — Wikipedia: mid-20th century American ready-to-wear, design process and workflow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_fashion_design), Wikipedia
13. [Novedge — Design Software History: Evolution of Fashion Industry Design Software, from CAD to AI (Gerber AccuMark as pioneer, 1980s)](https://novedge.com/blogs/design-news/design-software-history-the-digital-threads-evolution-of-design-software-in-the-textile-and-fashion-industry), Novedge
14. [Lectra — Gerber AccuMark: industry-leading Fashion CAD software (history and workflow impact)](https://www.lectra.com/en/fashion/products/gerber-accumark-fashion), Lectra / Gerber
15. [Style3D AI — 3D Fashion Software Comparison: CLO 3D, Browzwear, Style3D (2026); sampling reduction up to 70%](https://www.style3d.com/blog/which-3d-software-is-best-for-fashion-design-in-2025/), Style3D
16. [Onbrand Blog — 8 Top AI Fashion Design Software in 2026 (CLO 3D, Browzwear, and 3D simulation market overview)](https://www.onbrandplm.com/blog/ai-fashion-design-software), Onbrand
17. [McKinsey — The State of Fashion 2026: generative AI to add up to $275 billion to apparel, fashion, and luxury operating profits](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion), McKinsey
18. [Business of Fashion — AI Is Shaking Up Fashion's Workforce (2026 State of Fashion report, workforce reshaping)](https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/technology/the-state-of-fashion-2026-report-ai-automation-workforce-organisation-talent/), Business of Fashion
19. [Adobe — New Creative Agent and Generative AI Innovations in Adobe Firefly (Apr 2026): Generate Motif, Generate Repeat Pattern for textile design](https://news.adobe.com/news/2026/04/adobe-new-creative-agent), Adobe

### Forecasts and exposure studies

20. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 27-1022 Fashion designers (2025: 32.7 thousand; 2035: 32.8 thousand; +0.1%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-1022&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
21. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 27-1022.00, human-rated β 0.375)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI
22. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 27-1022 Fashion Designers: probability 0.021, rank 89 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford

### Historical notes

23. [Britannica — Charles Frederick Worth: fashion innovator, couturier, and founder of haute couture](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Frederick-Worth), Britannica
24. [FHCM — Our History: Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne founded 1868](https://www.fhcm.paris/en/our-history), Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode
25. [Library of Congress Law Blog — What "Haute Couture" Really Means in French Law: the 1945 ministerial order](https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2025/07/what-haute-couture-really-means-in-french-law/), Library of Congress
26. [Ian Drummond Vintage — American Women Designers 1920s-1960s: wartime American fashion independence](https://iandrummondvintage.com/en-au/blogs/fashion-history/american-women-designers-1920s-1960s), Ian Drummond Vintage
27. [AllAmerican.org — State of American Clothing Manufacturing: NAFTA 1994 and WTO 2001 accelerated offshoring; 750,000 manufacturing jobs lost 1990-2011](https://allamerican.org/research/clothing-manufacturing-report/), AllAmerican.org
28. [Adobe — New Creative Agent and Generative AI Innovations in Adobe Firefly (Apr 2026): Firefly Image Model 5, Generate Motif, Generate Repeat Pattern](https://news.adobe.com/news/2026/04/adobe-new-creative-agent), Adobe

### Predecessors & successors

29. [History of Fashion Design — Wikipedia: from custom dressmaker to named couturier (pre-Worth era)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_fashion_design), Wikipedia
30. [MNopedia — Custom Dressmaking, 1880-1920: transition from craft dressmaking to commercial design profession](https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/custom-dressmaking-1880-1920), Minnesota Historical Society
31. [Garment District NYC — History: Seventh Avenue talent pipeline from technical production roles to design](https://garmentdistrict.nyc/history), Garment District NYC
32. [WWD — AI's Impact on Fashion: Ralph Lauren CPO on hiring storytellers, art directors as natural next step for senior designers (2025)](https://wwd.com/business-news/technology/ai-impact-fashion-creativity-ceos-workforce-1238029942/), WWD

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Fashion Designers (27-1022.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-1022.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Fashion Designers (2024-25)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/fashion-designers.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [McKinsey — The State of Fashion 2026: When the Rules Change](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Business of Fashion — AI Is Shaking Up Fashion's Workforce (2026)](https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/technology/the-state-of-fashion-2026-report-ai-automation-workforce-organisation-talent/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [WWD — AI's Impact on Fashion: Creativity, CEOs, and Workforce (2025)](https://wwd.com/business-news/technology/ai-impact-fashion-creativity-ceos-workforce-1238029942/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Style3D AI — AI in Fashion: Comparing 2025 Leaders with 2026 Breakthroughs](https://www.style3d.ai/blog/ai-in-fashion-comparing-the-2025-leaders-with-2026-breakthroughs/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Adobe — Illustrator AI: Generate Motif and Generate Repeat Pattern tools (2025)](https://news.adobe.com/news/2025/10/adobe-max-2025-creative-cloud), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Adobe — New Creative Agent and Generative AI Innovations in Adobe Firefly (Apr 2026)](https://news.adobe.com/news/2026/04/adobe-new-creative-agent), accessed 2026-05-24
- [CALA — AI Fashion Design & Production Platform (2026)](https://aicenter.ai/tools/cala), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Resleeve AI — AI Content Production Studio for Fashion & Brands (2026)](https://resleeve.ai/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Adobe Firefly AI Fashion Models Guide 2026](https://www.rewarx.com/blogs/ultimate-guide-adobe-firefly-ai-fashion-models-2026), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.