So You Want To Be A Fashion Designer: A Kids' Guide to Fashion Design, Fabric, Trend Forecasting, and the Creative Visionaries Who Sketch, Sew, and Sh

WINNER of the Literary Titan Gold Book Award

From the So You Want To Be A... Series - 2026 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, Grand Prize Winner

What if the next great fashion designer is sitting in your living room right now, sketching outfits in the margins of a notebook? This ultimate illustrated guide was made for exactly that kid - the one who already sees clothing as self-expression and wants to learn how to become a fashion designer who shapes the way the world gets dressed.

So You Want To Be A Fashion Designer takes young readers ages 10-14 and beyond inside one of the most creative careers on the planet. Page by page, it follows a design from a rough concept pinned to a studio wall all the way to a finished garment on the runway. Kids and teens will discover why the fashion industry dreams up styles two full years before they feel perfectly of-the-moment, how a single haute couture gown can require more than a thousand hours of handwork, and where high heels and the world's rarest wool actually came from. For kids, this is the ultimate starting point for exploring design careers.

Along the way, readers meet trailblazing designers like Coco Chanel, Virgil Abloh, and Issey Miyake - visionaries who proved that fashion design is about far more than pretty clothes. It is about culture, identity, style, and giving people the power to say something about who they are without speaking a word. Understanding their journeys helps young readers become more thoughtful about the fashion and style choices that shape everyday life.

But this is not just a book to read - it is an invitation to start creating. Inside you will find hands-on activities for building real creative skills, from launching your own design sketchbook to draping fabric and redesigning the clothes you already own. A full glossary of fashion design terms decodes the language of the studio, and a "want to learn more" guide points kids and teens toward the books, websites, and programs that turn fashion curiosity into genuine design confidence. Think of it as part field guide, part career guide, and part creative spark all in one.

Whether your young reader is a future fashion designer mapping out their first collection or simply someone who senses that what we wear carries meaning, this guide for kids sparks curiosity, builds confidence, and opens a door to an entire creative world. It belongs on shelves alongside the best nonfiction for girls, boys, and teens who love art and design.

Part of the acclaimed So You Want To Be A series of career-exploration books for young, curious minds.

What do you want to say? Wear it.

Author: Linda Soules
Publisher: So You Want to Be...Books
Published: 06/03/2026
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.29lbs
Size: 10.00h x 8.00w x 0.10d
ISBN: 9781972766347
Audience: Ages 9-12

About the Author
Soules, Linda: - "Linda Soules is the author and creator of the So You Want To Be A... series, a growing collection of career-exploration books for readers ages 8-14. The series covers everything from astronauts and marine biologists to magicians, stunt performers, and roller coaster designers. Her philosophy is straightforward: never talk down to kids. Young readers are smarter, more curious, and more capable than the publishing world often gives them credit for, and they deserve books that respect their intelligence while genuinely sparking their enthusiasm. Each title is written to pull back the curtain on a real career - its joys, its challenges, the path to get there - and to leave readers with the sense that the world is wider, more interesting, and more reachable than they imagined. Before turning to children's publishing, Linda spent twenty-five years in law and finance, advising hedge funds and sophisticated financial institutions on complex regulatory matters - a career that taught her precision, discipline, and how to translate intricate subjects into language anyone can use. She brings that same clarity and care to every book she writes, paired with a deep belief that curiosity is the engine of a meaningful life. Linda lives in Seattle with her husband and two children, where the steady rhythm of family life, the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and the questions her own kids ask every day continue to fuel her work. Additional information can be found on her website at http: //lindasoules.com."