Larger apparel companies typically employ a team of fashion designers headed by a creative designer. Some fashion designers specialize in one of clothing, footwear, or accessory design, but others create designs in all three fashion categories. For some fashion designers, the first step in creating a new design is researching current fashion and making predictions of future trends using trend reports published by fashion industry trade groups. Other fashion designers create collections from inspirations they get from their regular surroundings, from the cultures they have experienced and places they have visited, or from various art media that inspire them. After they have an initial idea, fashion designers try out various fabrics and produce a prototype, often with less expensive material than will be used in the final product. They work with models to see how the design will look and adjust the designs as needed. Although most designers first sketch their designs by hand, man...