Fashioning as career after Class XII

First impression is the best impression, hence we are always advised to dress well when you are meeting somebody new or attending an interview. Fashion has become an important aspect in today’s lifestyle. If you have knack for fashion and have that creative mind then fashion industry opens up great opportunities for aspiring fashion designers.

“Every possible year fashion industry in India is opening doors to new fashion genres, when I completed my education it was all styling but now fashion blogging is popular,” says Archa Mehta, Fashion Designer. Archa Mehta has worked as a stylist for Bollywood and Tollywood films, Ramleela and Brahmostavam being the latest.

“One has to be very passionate and committed towards their job as it takes a lot of hard work to survive in the industry,” she adds.
Archa stresses, “Education is important but one has to have creativity in them to be a good fashion designer”. While, Archana Rao a successful fashion designer who runs her own label of men and women apparel says that personal skills and perseverance will help the newcomers in the industry.

“Fashion designing has always been a creative field; education and life skills will help the fashion designers in the job and in the market,”

What is Fashion Designing?
Fashion designing is an art of designing clothing and accessories to adore the natural beauty of human body. They attempt to produce unique designs for clothing and the accessories which fulfil both as a functional garment and of aesthetical value.

This kind of designing methods and types of materials may be influenced by the environmental conditions of the place. Their main technique of this application is based upon designing clothes to be worn for special events with suitable choice of colour and style. The most common special occasions where these dresses are worn include parties, weddings, etc.

Duties of Fashion Designers
Fashion designers typically do the following:

• Study fashion trends and anticipate designs that will appeal to consumers
• Decide on a theme for a collection
• Use computer-aided design (CAD) programs to create designs
• Visit manufacturers or trade shows to get samples of fabric
• Select fabrics, embellishments, colors, or a style for each garment or accessory
• Work with other designers or team members to create prototype designs
• Present design ideas to the creative director or showcase them in fashion or trade shows
• Market designs to clothing retailers or directly to consumers
• Oversee the final production of their designs

The following are examples of types of fashion designers:
Clothing designers create and help produce men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel, including casual wear, suits, sportswear, evening wear, outerwear, maternity clothing, and intimate apparel.

Footwear designers create and help produce different styles of shoes and boots. As new materials, such as lightweight synthetic materials used in shoe soles, become available, footwear designers produce new designs that combine comfort, form, and function.

Accessory designers design and produce items such as handbags, suitcases, belts, scarves, hats, hosiery, and eyewear.Costume designers design costumes for the performing arts and for motion picture and television productions.

They research the styles worn during the period in which the performance takes place, or they work with directors to select and create appropriate attire. They also must stay within the costume budget for the particular production.

Job Prospect
In India, the fashion industry has just begun to come of age, as it is still in its fledgling stage. This industry offers plenty of opportunities for talented hard working and enthusiastic people. Prospects for fashion design graduates are pretty good thanks to the huge and still growing demand for “designer wear” and the equally outsized quantity of exports.

After successful completion of the course, you can remain self employed. Alternatively, several export houses, garment store chains, textile mills, leather companies, boutiques, fashion show organizers, jewellery houses and media houses recruit professionals interested in a career in fashion designing.

Pay Packet
The Starting monthly package can be around Rs 10, 000 to Rs 15, 000. With experience, you will acquire maturity in designing skills and a few years down the line your salary would be in the range of Rs 30, 000 to Rs 40, 000 per month. Of course, if you become a reputed designer you could demand the world.

Great fashion designers salary always shows an upward moving trend. However, hard work and a conscious effort to update the latest trends in the fashion industry are imperative.

International Focus
Better prospectus both in terms of salary and growth of fashion design jobs is enormous and extends beyond India’s markets to international markets too. Indian fashion designers are doing very well in almost all countries and hence the scope has broadened for students of fashion designing.

Fashion designers such as Ritu Beri, Ritu Kumar, Rohit Bal, Satya Paul and Tarun Tahiliani are known worldwide. Many Institutions provide training to potential fashion designers to expand their talent and become entrepreneurs in the fashion world. The India Fashion Week has become an international fashion event, with buyers from international stores making an appearance to transact business.

With more and more Indians dressing up and focused on looking good, there is an increasing awareness about fashion in India. The Indian fashion industry is booming. The domestic Indian Textile market is worth $25 billion today and growing at an annual rate of 15-20%.

Mega Malls are mushrooming all over. The Retail sector is witnessing a virtual explosion with the Ambanis, Mittals, Birlas and now, the Tatas making a foray in this sector. The fashion market will require thousands of trained professionals in the fields of design, management, communication and technology.

Pros and Cons Positives

• The scope of fashion design is such that it’s cut out for success.
• There are some glamorous aspects to this business, you may get to rub shoulders with the rich and famous, but reaching there is absolute hard work.

Negatives
Fashion designers need a lot of experience and hence they have to work as assistant for any reputed fashion design firm in the initial phase.
You might want to set up your own studio but you will need a lot of money or have to find investors who are ready to invest in your studio.
Unless you have some hands on experience, it is hard to get investors.

Fashion Designing Courses in India

Fashion designing courses are easily available across the world and in India also. There are many institutes across the country providing short term as well as long term courses in fashion designing. The duration of the course may vary between 1 to 3 years depending on the choice of course structure. Some of popular fashion designing courses in India are:

• B.Sc- Fashion Designing and Apparel Designing
• B.Sc- Jewellery designing & Management
• B.sc- Interior Designing
• B.Des- Bachelor of Design
• B.Ftech- Bachelor of Fashion Technology
• Diploma in Computer aided Fashioning Designing

Top Fashion Designing Institutes in India:

Some of the top fashion designing institutes in India includes:

• National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) having campuses in Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Bangalore, Mohali
• National institute of Design(NID) campuses in Delhi, Bangalore and Ahmedabad
• APEEJAY institute of Design Delhi
• Pearl Academy of Fashion(PAF) Delhi
• Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology Bangalore
• JD Institute of Fashion Technology Delhi, Mumbai
• IIFT Indian institute of fashion Technology Bangalore
• Government Institute of Garment Technology Amritsar etc
• Rai University is another famous institute for fashion design.
• Hamstech Institute of Fashion Designing, Hyderabad

By:Vaishnavi Girish