Fashion – the word is complete in itself to describe the whole world and all of us. In today’s world, fashion is very important in your life, by which others recognize you – the first thing that anyone notices in you. And fashion encompasses almost everything in this world. And pursuing fashion designing as a career gives you a different and vital place in society. Moreover, it can give you global recognition and also give you much prosperity, creativity, and excitement in work that gets missed out in the hustle-bustle of this busy world. Fashion designing is the best way to give wings to the dreams of your creative skills. Clothes, shoes, ornaments are much more than protecting and covering up your body – a fashion designer understands the need of people’s different taste of style, comfort, expression and make the products that define the people’s outlook. The fashion world is a vast area and designing is just a small but one of the most vital parts of the field.
There is a high demand for fashion designers in today’s everyday changing taste of style dominated world. After getting a degree from the fashion institutions/colleges, you can work as a costume designer, fashion consultant, personal stylist, technical designer, graphic designer, production pattern maker or a fashion coordinator. There are also top fashion-houses run by successful and well-known fashion designers, garment and textile export houses, textile and fabric manufacturing units, branded fashion showrooms where you can get hired. The Indian fashion market is growing at a considerably faster rate and achieving sky-high profits every year, opening up scopes and career for new interns in this field. Moreover, if you establish yourself well in this field your creative works will be valued and wanted more, increasing your overall profit. People flock towards fashionable products like nectar attracts the honeybees, so you will always have a surplus amount of people for your creative products in this highly populated India.
1. WHICH ARE THE TOP FASHION DESIGNING INSTITUTES OF INDIA?
- National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata)
- Symbiosis Institute of Design (SID), Pune, Maharastra
- Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore
- Pearl Academy of Fashion, Jaipur
- Indian Institute of Art and Fashion Technology (IIAFT)
- J.D Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi
2. WHAT ARE THE ENTRANCE EXAMS TO BE QUALIFIED TO STUDY FASHION DESIGNING IN INDIA?
| Name of entrance exam | Exam Conducted By |
|---|---|
| NIFT Entrance Exam | National Institute of Fashion Technology |
| NID Entrance Exam | National Institute of Design |
| CEED | IIT Bombay |
| UCEED | |
| PEARL Academy Entrance Exam | PEARL Academy |
| SOFT | Entrance Exam SOFT (School of Fashion Technology) |
| Arch Academy of Design | |
| IICD Entrance Exam | IICD (Indian Institute of Crafts and Design) |
| SET (Design) | Symbiosis Institute of Design |
| FDDI AIST | Footwear Design and Development Institute |
| SEAT Entrance Exam | Srishti Institute of Art, Design, and Technology |
3. CAN I PURSUE PhD IN FASHION DESIGNING?
Yes, you can pursue a Ph.D. in the areas of Design, Textiles, Fashion, Lifestyle, Management and Technology, and Apparel Sectors of the Industry.
4. I HAVE SECURES VERY fewer MARKS IN MY 12TH. CAN I STUDY FASHION DESIGNING?
Minimum eligibility for the Undergraduate course in this field is 10+2 with 50% marks. So, if you have scored 50% or more than that then you can definitely go for fashion designing. In the major institutes of fashion designing, the admission is strictly on merit- through written test, situation test, group discussion, and interview. To study fashion designing you have to qualify in all these rounds.
5. WHAT ARE THE OTHER JOBS AREAS FOR FASHION GRADUATES, APART FROM BECOMING A DESIGNER?
Apart from becoming a fashion designer, the fashion graduates can become Merchandiser, Fashion consultant, Brand manager, Photoshoot stylist, Fashion journalist and many more.
6. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FASHION DESIGN AND FASHION TECHNOLOGY?
Even though Fashion Design and Fashion Technology are both important aspects of the fashion industry, there is a fundamental difference between the two fields. Fashion Design mostly deals with the creation of design and dress material from available fabrics whereas Fashion Technology deals with the science of creating fabric from available material. It also focuses on the techniques of producing fashion products and the use of various equipment.
7. I AM A STUDENT OF ARTS. AM I ELIGIBLE TO STUDY FASHION DESIGNING AND FASHION TECHNOLOGY COURSES?
Surely, Arts student can definitely pursue fashion designing course. The minimum qualification is 12th in any stream. But the candidates planning to pursue a bachelor's course in fashion technology need to have passed their 10+2 examination in Science stream with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
8. WHAT ARE THE BEST BOOKS FOR NIFT ENTRANCE EXAM PREPARATION?
- Popular Master Guide NIFT and IIFT by R. Gupta
- NIFT National Entrance Exam by Verma
- NIFT: Previous Years Papers (Solved) by Ramesh Publishing House
- NIFT/NID Exam Guide by Dr. R. P. Datason
- NIFT/NID/IIFT Entrance Exam Guide by Surendra Kavimandan
- NIFT Entrance Examination (Guide) by D Mittal
9. WHAT ARE THE UNDERGRADUATE (UG) COURSES IN FASHION DESIGNING?
- B.Design – Fashion Design (4 Years)
- B.Sc. - Fashion Design (3 Years)
- B.Design – Fashion Communication (4 Years)
10. WHAT ARE THE POST GRADUATE (PG) COURSES IN FASHION DESIGNING?
- M.Design – Fashion Design (2 Years)
- M.Design – Fashion Communication (2 Years)
11. ARE THERE ANY DIPLOMA COURSES IN FASHION DESIGNING?
- Diploma in Fashion Design (1 Year)
- Diploma in Fashion Communication (1 Year)
12. IS STUDYING FASHION DESIGNING A COSTLY AFFAIR? CAN MIDDLE-CLASS PEOPLE AFFORD THE EXPENSES?
Yes, it is really an expensive affair for a middle-class student to study fashion designing from a private college but in an institute like NIFT, they provide subsidized fee which is way lesser than other colleges. Still, the fees for a 4-year B. Des course is INR 8,60,000 and around Rs. 60,000 for hostel and mess per year. Apart from fees, stationery and all that designer’s stuff is a basic requirement in NIFT. Around 8k-10k will probably be a month’s expense for a design student at NIFT. If you want to study you can avail loan from various banks but they would not cover the material cost.
