Got a flair for fashion?

The burgeoning Indian fashion industry provides a plethora of opportunities for candidates naturally inclined towards fashion

First impression is undoubtedly the best impression. Behind every piece of clothing that helps you with your first impression, there is a talented designer playing a crucial role. Fashion has become more than just a luxury. It attaches itself to the identities of those who choose to follow or experiment with it.

With fashion assuming such importance in present times, fashion designing presents a lot of scope for ones who choose to take it up as a career. With the global fashion industry penetrating into countries like India and China, fields like the film and the retail industry too are embracing the upcoming trends.

Famous fashion designers like Abu Jani, Sandeep Khosal, Tarun Tahiliani, Ritu Beri, Manish Malhotra, Neeta Lulla and Ritu Kumar have already established how the field of fashion can provide lucrative careers for the truly talented. Fashion varies from season to season. As India is home to four seasons, every quarter presents scope to bring in different material and designs to suit the climate and aesthetical expectations of the people.

“These days, youngsters have many new avenues and prospects in this field. For those who are creative, trendy, have an eye for style and like creating new designs or experimenting around established rules, fashion designing is the best career option” points Uday Shree, a freelance designer.

“Fashion designing is not all about academics. Instead, it requires inner talent and passion for fabric, color, style and design”, Uday Shree added. There are various programmes for aspiring fashion designers like certificate, diploma, undergraduate and post–graduation courses. One must pass his 10+2 with atleast 50 per cent aggregate marks to be able to enroll into an undergraduate programme. To pursue post graduation, one needs to complete his under-graduate programme from a recognised university.

An entrance exam is conducted every year for students who wish to enroll in various institutes and colleges. The test is followed by group discussions and interviews that help these institutes identify candidates who possess a natural flair for fashion. “There are various areas such as accessories design, fashion shows, fashion media, graphic design, boutique design, fashion photography, fashion consultancy and personal style that one can choose from.

One can also work in famous fashion houses, the textile Industry or other institutions in India and abroad. The international market also has a lot of scope for Indian designers, most of who are admired for their ethnic and fusion designs” points Sirisha Pagadala, fashion designer and faculty at NIFT. The niche areas in fashion designing are textile design, garment construction, grooming, sketching, accessory design and graphic designing.

Some of the famous institutes that have fashion designing programmes are the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hamstech Institution of Fashion and Interior Designing, Lakhotia Institute of Design and Fashion Institute of Technology, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.

By:Chitra Saikumar