9 Beginner-Friendly Fashion Courses for Making Your Own Clothing

Learn to make your own clothing and accessories from scratch alongside leading experts in fashion design

From London to Milan, cities around the world known for their stand-out style are preparing to showcase their fall-winter collections ahead of Fashion Week this February.

Dating back to the early 1940s, the first Fashion Week was held in New York when the Second World War complicated travel to Paris, where these kinds of runway shows were usually hosted. Since then, it’s become a fundamental part of the annual fashion calendar, with designers big and small sharing their latest creations with influential figures in the industry and beyond.

With Fashion Week fast approaching, we’re rounding up some of the most popular online fashion courses to inspire you to develop a custom wardrobe from scratch—no experience necessary. Check out 9 beginner-friendly fashion courses for making your own clothing!

1. Sewing Machine 101: Make Your First Dress, a course by Juliet Uzor

Knowing your way around a sewing machine is one of the fundamental first steps in any clothing collection. In this course, Sewing Machine 101: Make Your First Dress, seamstress and content creator Juliet Uzor (@julietuzor) takes you step by step through the process of using a sewing machine to make unique outfits from scratch. As the winner of the BBC’s The Great British Sewing Bee, she’s experienced in developing her own designs into a reality and teaching others via her blog and social media.

Explore the different functions of a sewing machine, stitches, edges, and more to create your own custom dress from start to finish.

2. Introduction to Fashion Draping: Create Custom Womenswear, a course by Raegen Evans

Draping is a technique used in clothing design that involves creating directly on the mannequin to make pieces that flow effortlessly. It's an essential part of Raegen Evans’ (@reagenvarross) process. He started his own couture fashion house at just 22 years old and has dressed clients including The Duchess of Rutland.

In this Introduction to Fashion Draping, he teaches you the ins and outs of draping your clothing designs and how to transform them into paper patterns. Learn to design and construct your own garment from scratch, from the outer layer to the final fastenings.

3. Hand Embroidery for Clothing: Stitch a Collage Design, a course by Stefanija Pejchinovska

Embroidery is a great way to give an existing piece of clothing a new lease of life. It’s also a meditative craft that offers you the opportunity to take time away from a screen and create with your own two hands. Here, embroidery artist and designer Stefanija Pejchinovska (@damaja) teaches you how to switch colorful imagery onto garments as part of her course Hand Embroidery for Clothing: Stich a Collage Design.

She focuses on creating ethically-made clothing and has collaborated with brands and artists such as Corvera Vargas, Loveco, The Artesao, Toba, Marin et Marine, Lanius, and Treches Studio. Join Sefanija and explore how to turn pieces from your wardrobe into wearable works of art through creative embroidery.

4. Handwoven Garments with a Weaving Loom, a course by Kristína Šipulová

Weaving might be a centuries-old technique, but it can be used to create contemporary designs with the right know-how. Designer and garment maker Kristína Šipulová (@kristina_sipulova) started her career creating custom-made, handwoven pieces for Chanel and has since exhibited her work at Milan and Paris Fashion Week, and been featured in publications like Forbes, Vogue, and Elle Decor Italia, among others.

Follow her steps for creating Handwoven Garments with a Weaving Loom and learn to make unique clothing and accessories filled with texture.

5. Upcycling for Beginners: Sustainable Fashion Design

With the rise of fast fashion, sustainable clothing has never been more important–something designer Selina Sanders (@selina_sanders) knows all too well as the founder of her namesake brand, which specializes in one-of-a-kind upcycled garments and accessories. She shares her creations with over 100K followers on Instagram and has been featured in publications like Vogue and Marie Claire.

In Upcycling for Beginners: Sustainable Fashion Design, she talks through the creative journey that led her to start her brand and teaches you the tools and techniques you need to start making clothing of your own using reused fabric.

6. Make and Customize Your First Bomber Jacket, a course by Lydia Higginson

Bomber jackets started as a military staple, but have since become a timeless fashion statement that can be incorporated into any wardrobe. In this course, Make and Customize Your First Bomber Jacket, UK-based seamstress and pattern designer Lydia Higginson (@lydia_mademywardrobe) teaches you how to make one from scratch, and add details like embroideries, appliques, quilting, and embellishments to make it uniquely yours.

Lydia is passionate about sustainable clothing and has spent years without buying a single item since starting a project to make all of her own clothes back in 2016. Join her and make your wardrobe a more environmentally friendly one.

7. Polymer Clay Jewelry Design for Beginners, a course by Rachel from Made by Maeberry

Accessories can be just as important as the outfit itself. In this bestselling course, Polymer Clay Jewelry Design for Beginners, learn how to make bespoke pieces of jewelry with Rachel from Made by Maeberry (@madebymaeberry). Having established her own jewelry brand over 10 years ago, she has become known for her high-quality pieces and fun color palettes, primarily earrings.

Follow Rachel and learn how to combine vibrant shades, unique shapes, and textures to make jewelry that expresses your individual style.

8. Pattern-Making Techniques for Recreating Your Favorite Garments, a course by Urko Martinez and Sandra Liberal

Classic pieces are the key to making your wardrobe stand the test of time, but finding them can be a challenge. Through careful pattern-making techniques, you can recreate your favorite garments in different fabrics, colors, and textures without taking them apart!

Urko Martinez and Sandra Liberal are fashion designers and the founders of their studio, Lantoki (@lantoki). In their second Domestika course, Pattern-Making Techniques for Recreating your Favorite Garments, they teach you how to copy the patterns of your most-worn pieces so you can build a wardrobe of custom clothing you love.

You can also check out their first course here: Dressmaking: Design Your Own Dress Shirt.

9. Introduction to Adobe Illustrator for Fashion Design, a course by Mila Moura

Many fashion designers make their ideas a reality using pencils and paper but, thanks to innovative digital tools, you can design your own garments quickly and efficiently on a computer or tablet, and edit them with ease! In this course, Introduction to Adobe Illustrator for Fashion Design, Mila Moura (@_milamoura) shows you how.

As a Domestika Basics, it’s made up of five different courses designed to teach you the entire process from scratch. Discover everything from the software’s interface to working with brushes, color, and texture alongside a professional designer.

Looking for more inspiration? Browse all of Domestika’s online fashion courses and learn how to build a bespoke wardrobe that reflects your personal style alongside leading creative experts in the industry.

Explore more resources on fashion:

1. Enhance your best features and communicate your personal style through makeup in this course: Introduction to Professional Makeup Techniques.

​​2. Discover top software for budding fashion illustrators and designers: 10 Fashion Design Apps to Go from Sketch to Technical Art.

3. Learn Costume Design for Film and TV alongside these professional Madrid-based designers.

4. Explore Professional Leather Handbag Design to create bespoke accessories using tried and tested crafting techniques.