Best Apps for Fashion Designers

Unless you're an heiress, it's hard to jetset around the world interminably like a gypsy butterfly. However, as a designer, you are finding it difficult to get inspired when you're cooped up in your studio all day. Do yourself a favor and download Fotopedia Heritage. This app was created in cooperation with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and compiles hundreds of high resolution photos from every corner of the globe. Bookmark favorite images, filter pictures by region or tag, or shuffle the entire collection of photos. If cultural heritage isn't your thing, Fotopedia also has apps for other locations.

All Flickr'd, Tumblr'd, and Pinterest'd out, but still want some visual inspiration? Art has been a huge influence on fashion design and an arresting art piece can anchor an entire collection. Art Authority for iPad has the most extensive and well organized collection of artwork from thousands of artists and galleries. While the interface is not as aesthetically pleasing as Fotopedia, with Art Authority, you can zoom into most of their catalog to see the pieces in extreme detail.

Elevate your designs by getting to know the textile industry. Peek into some of the most extensive textile libraries in the world with Design Library. Browse beautiful design selections from all over the world (e.g. France, Japan, and Uzbekistan) and dates from the 1750s to 1990.

Fashion sketches take on a variety of different styles, from the conceptual and vague to the labors of love that note every stitch. No matter what your style, Sketchbook Pro for iPad (also available for the iPhone) has variety of brushes and a slick interface that will meet all your sketching needs without getting in the way. A highlight of this app is its customizable color palette that is perfect for fashion designers trying to pull together a cohesive color theme across several looks.

Designers must know Pantone colors. This company is responsible for global color trends, the code regulation of color, and swatches across all creative communities. Eyedrop colors from photos and find the equivalent Pantone color. Select a color and the app generates color families (e.g. monochromatic, complimentary, analogous, and triadic). Save your colors and share them through email, other Adobe Creative apps, or print them.

When designing a collection, designers rely on moodboards to keep their vision focused. Moodboard for iPad makes it easy. Browse the internet in-app and press the crop symbol on the menu bar to capture anything you see. Make swatches of your color theme instantly. Type out notes, take a picture, add little thumbtacks, whatever—the board is your oyster.

When tailoring, it always comes down to numbers. Never miss another measurement again because you forgot your tape. Ruler 2 gives you precise measurements, lets you save your measurements for later use, and can now export your values to Calculator or Mail.

Get your junk organized! Store and catalog all of your patterns, fabrics, projects, and measurements with Sewing Kit. Every entry you make in this app lets you include countless details. For example, for fabrics, every entry allows you to fill in its name, color, where you bought it, where it's stored, whether it's been washed, whether its been ironed, and unlimited photos. This app is very customizable and will save you the stress of searching for misplaced design elements while you are working.

There is no reason for anyone to not use Mint. It's free to sign up and use and you can track all of your expenses, tag every transaction, look at bar graphs of your spending over time, create alerts for when your bank balance is low or a bill is coming up, and set goals for saving money. Don't squander your creative and earning potential with irresponsible finances.

Fashion is a business after all, and Women's Wear Daily is an essential publication for every person in the fashion industry. Keep up with fashion news, shows, and trends for women's and men's fashion.

Another excellent fashion news publication is The Cut. The writers are smart and opinionated, and this app compiles all of New York Magazine's coverage of fashion shows from Milan, Paris, New York, and London. Their extensive collection of runway photos is not to be missed and, in my opinion, are often better than those of other influential publications (I'm looking at you Vogue).