Do you have what it takes to be a fashion designer? If you've always wondered, you're not alone. Plenty of iVillage members wonder if their talent and passion for fashion will take them to the top. We asked Project Runway's Tim Gunn to answer their questions.

What's it take to be a fashion designer?

It takes a creative aptitude, a point of view, technical knowledge, a keen business and marketing mind, a collaborative spirit, a respect for the client — and all of this wrapped up in a package of unbridled passion. Gone are the days of the fashion designer as temperamental artiste.

Do you really need to know how to sew to be a designer?

I've heard stories of people who create successful lines of apparel with just a great idea.

At the very, very least, to be a success as a fashion designer, one needs to know how clothes are constructed and sewn. One doesn't necessarily have to experience it firsthand, but it most certainly helps. Without technical experience, a designer is solely reliant upon in-house sample hands or a production factory abroad to implement the concepts. When one has firsthand experience, then one can say to the sample hand or factory, "What do you mean you don't know how to do X? Let me show you."