Career profile · SOC ESC-1ADF1B3B

textile designer

Textile designers conceptualise textile products considering visual communication and functional performance.

textile designer textile designers conceptualise textile products considering visual communication and functional performance. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include textile marketing techniques, properties of textile materials, portfolio management in textile manufacturing, textile printing technology, distinguish accessories.

AI exposure
5.0/10
automation risk

Pay in the UK

UK: median £36,848 a year for Clothing, fashion and accessories designers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)

UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 3422). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)

Pay in India (occupation group)

Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only textile designer, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.

Urban India
₹42,717 a month
Rural India
₹30,424 a month
All India
₹38,466 a month

Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report

Top skills

textile marketing techniques properties of textile materials portfolio management in textile manufacturing textile printing technology distinguish accessories use textile technique for hand-made products design weft knitted fabrics create mood boards measure yarn count distinguish fabrics

Knowledge you'll build

  • Design
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Production and Processing
  • Sales and Marketing
  • English Language
  • Fine Arts
  • Administration and Management
  • Personnel and Human Resources

What you'd actually do

  • Sketch rough and detailed drawings of apparel or accessories, and write specifications such as color schemes, construction, material types, and accessory requirements.
  • Examine sample garments on and off models, modifying designs to achieve desired effects.
  • Confer with sales and management executives or with clients to discuss design ideas.
  • Select materials and production techniques to be used for products.
  • Provide sample garments to agents and sales representatives, and arrange for showings of sample garments at sales meetings or fashion shows.
  • Direct and coordinate workers involved in drawing and cutting patterns and constructing samples or finished garments.

Tools & technology you'd use

Adobe Creative Cloud software hot Adobe Illustrator hot Adobe InDesign hot Adobe Photoshop hot Microsoft Excel hot Microsoft Office software hot Microsoft Outlook hot Microsoft PowerPoint hot Adobe Acrobat hot Autodesk Revit hot JavaScript hot Microsoft Word hot

Frequently asked questions

What does textile designer do?

Textile designers conceptualise textile products considering visual communication and functional performance.

What skills does textile designer need?

The most in-demand skills for this role include textile marketing techniques, properties of textile materials, portfolio management in textile manufacturing, textile printing technology, distinguish accessories, use textile technique for hand-made products. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.

Will AI replace textile designer?

Our AI-durability model gives textile designer a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.

Take it further