Introduction
Creativity is crucial in all design occupations. People in this field must
have a strong sense of the aesthetic—an eye for
color and detail, a sense of balance and proportion, and an appreciation for
beauty.
Fashion Design
is an intellectually satisfying and lucrative profession today. Forget the high-flying
haute couture Yves St.
Luarent, Ralph Lauren or our very own Ritu Beri and Rohit Bal, even averagely
successful designers have high work
satisfaction and monetary reward. With increasing emphasis on looking good
and presentable, fashion design as an
industry is set to grow by leaps and bounds. And if you hit the big time,
life will be one long joyride.
Your
Career Options
The courses offered by NIFT are as follows :
Fashion Design
- It's a 3yrs, graduate course on Fashion designing.
Accessory Design -
It's a 3yrs, graduate course on Accessory designing.
Knitwear Design &
Technology - A 2yrs, post graduate course on knit wears.
Leather Apparel Design &
Technology - A 2yrs, post graduate course on leather apparels.
Textile Design &
Development - A 2yrs, post graduate course on textile designing.
Garment Manufacturing
Technology - A 2yrs, post graduate course on garment manufacturing techniques.
Apparel Marketing &
Merchandising Management - A 2yrs, post graduation course on apparel merchandising.
Fashion Communication
- A 2yrs, post graduate course on fashion communication.
Fashion Design -
Advanced Programme - A 2 yrs, post graduate course for the Fashion designers.
FAQs
Q. Which abilities do I need to have to be successful in this field?
A. You should be confident,
creative, imaginative and persistent with the ability to communicate ideas in writing,
visually,
or verbally.
IT
Perspective
Many designers are increasingly using computer-aided design (CAD) tools
to create and better visualize the final product.
Computer models allow greater ease and flexibility in making changes to a
design, thus reducing design costs and cutting
the time it takes to deliver a product to market.
Your
Training
Formal training is a must to be accepted and succeed in this highly
competitive industry already brimming with talent.The
best known fashion design institute in India is NIFT or National Institute of
Fashion Technology. Beside this there are
courses run by NID (National Institute of Design), YWCA (Young Women's
Christian Association), several polytechnics and
some government colleges. The course curriculum would include:
* Garment construction,
Apparel merchandising, Marketing management, Indian / western art appreciation, Indian
textiles,
CAD, etc.
* Industry internship - the
students are sent to the Fashion industry so as to realize their role as Fashion
professionals in
the industry and come out with futuristic designs which are
aesthetically appealing and yet feasible.
* Craft documentation ( NIFT
Special) - this is a 3-4 week module in which students have to reach out to the tribes who
are
in the very interiors of the country and spend those days with
them so as to document their lifestyle, craft, costumes and
accessories.
Your
Personality Traits
* Individuals in the design field must be creative, imaginative and
persistent
* Ability to
communicate their ideas in writing, visually, or verbally.
* Because
tastes in style and fashion can change quickly, designers need to be well read, open to
new ideas and
influences, and quick to react to changing trends.
*
Problem-solving skills
* Ability to
work independently and under pressure are important traits.
* People in
this field need self-discipline to start projects on their own, to budget their time, and
to meet deadlines and
production schedules.
* Good
business sense and sales ability also are important, especially for those who freelance or
run their own business.
Are
You Eligible?
For all the undergraduate courses in NIFT or any of the other institutes in
Fashion designing you just need to have passed
your class XII and will be required to sit for an entrance test.
For all post-graduate courses
whether at NIFT or any of the other institute you need to be a graduate in any discipline.
Your
Preparation
There is plenty you can do while still in school to test the waters and see
if you really like this kind of work. Every school
offers plenty of opprtunities in this field what with annual Arts and Crafts
Exhibitions, Inter-school drawing competitions,
stitching or experimenting at home etc.
You must make a concerted
effort to put in your best, innovate. Try and see what your teacher or instructor is
telling you in
a different light.
The admission
procedure normally involves a written test whereby there is a General Mental Abilty
test and Creative Ability
Test. Short-listed candidates are then called for an interview and group
discussion.
The final list of selected candidates is based on the overall performance
taking into account the written test, interview and
the group discussion.
Your
Institutes
Click here for list of Institutes
Your
Responsibilities
* The first step in developing a new design or altering an existing one is to
determine the needs of the client and the
occassion for which the design is intended.
* When creating a design, the
designer considers size, shape, weight, color, materials used, cost, comfort etc.
* As a designer, you have to
be perceptive about a customer’s preference as well as be informed of fashion trends,
social
customs, fabrics available etc.
* You must take into account
sales information market research, competitor’s products. All this will enable you to
be
successful in fashion forecasting.
* You have to apply your
creative talent to product ideas which cater to the market’s needs.
* The appearance, quality and
texture of fabrics have to be taken into account.
* In manufacturing, you would
have to work with the buyer and liaise with production staff to ensure that mass
production is
feasible and cost effective.
* Most designers work out
their ideas not only in sketches but also by draping the model. Patterns are then
formalised and
samples made up before mass production begins
* You are responsible for
presenting your work to clients or internal management. At the same time you have to
advise the
client about adaptions, types of fabrics, which can be used,
different dimensions, production problems etc.
* Designers who run their own
businesses devote a considerable amount of time to developing new business contacts and
to performing administrative tasks, such as reviewing catalogues
and ordering samples.
Your
Working Conditions
* Working conditions and places of employment vary. Designers employed by
manufacturing establishments or design firms
generally work regular hours in well-lighted and comfortable settings.
* Self-employed designers tend
to work longer hours.
* Designers frequently adjust
their workday to suit their clients’ schedules, meeting with them during evening or
weekend
hours, when necessary.
* Designers may transact
business in their own offices, clients’ homes or offices, or they may travel to other
locations, such
as showrooms, design centres, and manufacturing facilities.
* Designers have to interact
with their craftsmen, tailors, suppliers and other resource people almost on a daily basis
and
maintain cordial relations with them for work to flow smoothly.
They often have to spend hours on the factory floor as well
for keeping a close watch on the work being done as slight
variations can cause client dissatisfaction.
Your
Future Prospects
The largest employing sector of fashion / clothing designers is wholesale
manufacturing. As a wholesale designer you do
not work as an original artist to the same extent as a designer in the haute
couture sector.
The most common job in the
industry is that of the fashion coordinator who does everything from creative direction to
dealing with clients.
Jobs in fashion are with
export houses, buying houses and boutiques. You can also work as a free lancer.
There are over 2000 export
houses in Delhi alone. They employ at least two or three fashion coordinators. The
highly
original and inventive reach the top like Rohit Khosla, Hemant Trivedi, Neera
Nath, Karl Lahgerfield, Zandra Rhoda, Luciano
Sporain, Catherine Hipp etc.
Check this out from and on NIFT
National Institute of Fashion
Technology (NIFT) alone has plumbed out 350 stars into corporate India.
Any doubt ? Ask Nivedita
Indulkar. Just 19, she would design Arrow shirt or Lee jeans you may wear in time to come.
Kids
like Nivedita would take a cool take home pay from anything in the range of
Rs.4.5 lakh to Rs. 2.4 lakh per annum.
As textile companies
increasingly focus on brand building and marketing, qualified fashion designers are in
demand.
Headhunters from Arvind Mills,
Aditya Birla Group, Pantaloon, Crossroads, Shoppers' Stop, IBM, Zodiac, Weekender are
competing hard to pick the bright minds into their KSA Technopark and KPMG
have too joined the bandwagon.
"Our students are in
great demand this year," NIFT director general LV Saptharishi told The Times of
India. " They are not
just fashion designers or garment technologists but all-round
marketers," he added.
Saptharishi points out that
textile companies look for professionals with a built-in-marketing, and consultant mind.
"They
won't get this product in a raw MBA," he said that retail chains and
competition among domestic brands have created new
openings in the Indian market.
"It's a serious business,
Designers are no more an upmarket pedigree among social circles," stated NIFT's
placement
coordinator Kalpana Swamy. She maintained that companies are returning back
with empty hands as talents have dried up
from their institute.
"Last year, the demand
was from exporters over domestic players. Domestics players have plucked all talents this
year,"
apparel merchandising management expert Darlieo Koshi explained.
G Balakrishan, 23 who won this
year's award for excellence in textile and clothing from the Manchester Textile Institute
has
four jobs in his hand. He is unable to pick the best of the companies.
"Dotcoms may be the in
trend. Apparel marketing and merchandising has amazing growth potential," he said.
Ditto, believes Adosh Sharma.
"I would become a brand manager in two years' time," he confidently gushes. He
has joined
Pantaloons as product manager. "The recession is out. Apparel designers
and marketers are in demand," he added.
"For the first time,
corporate India, especially family-run textile businesses have been job hopping for
designers, "NIFT's
fashion design chairperson Asha Baxi informed."They are damn scared
about the opening up of the market as well as WTO
compulsions," she said.
Opportunities Abroad
* Indian designers like Ritu
Beri, Rohit Bal, Tarun Tahiliani, Hemant Trivedi etc. have already made their
presence felt
abroad.
* Getting attached to a
well-known couture house abroad like Armani, Versace, Ralph Lauren etc would give you very
good
experience, useful contacts and some very useful tips on cracking
the market abroad.
* With a huge Indian diaspora
in almost every country of the world the market for Indian designers is huge.
* This profession is about
starting out with a fashion house and then making a name for yourself if you really want
to hit it
big.
Your
Remuneration
Graduates from recognised Institutes like the National Institute of Fashion
Technology (NIFT) start on a salary between Rs.
8,000 - Rs. 10,000. Export houses are the best pay- masters.
With experience you could be
handling a sampling or production unit. Heads of these department get Rs.10,000-Rs.15,000
per month and above.
In the initial years you must
concentrate on enhancing your skills and knowledge to build your reputation as a designer.
Once you make a name, success will be a natural corollary. Creations by
highly sought-after designers like Rohit Bal, Ritu
Beri, Tarun Tahiliani etc. have price tags starting from Rs.35000-40000 going
up to lakhs of rupees for a single outfit.
Related Occupations
- Fashion Journalism
- Buyer for Departmental Stores
- Fashion Adviser
Suggested Readings
The Art of Fashion by Sridhar
Indian Traditions in Fashion by Louis Easter
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