Fashion design

Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. Designers conduct research on fashion trends and interpret them for their audience. They work in a number of ways from creating a cloth or accessory to modifying it, particular to the audience's interest. The job requires a highly creative and out of the box thinking attitude.

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Education

Fashion designers typically need an associate or a bachelor's degree in fashion designing. Associate's degree programs in fashion design are 2-year programs that equip students with fundamental, technical design skills, such as tailoring, sewing and basic fashion theories. Bachelor's degree (B.Sc in Fashion Designing ) tends to offer more extensive career training, combining technical coursework with artistic and conceptual instruction. M.Sc in Fashion designing is the postgraduate degree for a period of two years. Though formal education is required for obtaining a job, one can always practice this by setting their own unit, having relevant skills or a one-year diploma. A combined degree in fashion design and marketing or another business-related subject is also beneficial. MBA and PhD can also be done.

Knowledge and Tasks

Along with formal training, fashion designers must have a strong capacity for creativity, including a knack for colour, textile detail and style.
Drawing and computer drafting skills are necessary for fashion sketching and knowledge of sewing and tailoring are required for explaining the design process to manufacturers.
Employers also tend to prefer fashion designers with retail or sales experience, which apply to the marketing aspect of the occupation.
Designers are constantly working with various industry professionals, so strong communication and collaboration skills are essential.

Personality

People involved in this career are required to be empathetic to understand the audience's expectation. Creativity and patience are at the core of success in this field. They need to be meticulous and business savvy. They should have a clear perspective and be grounded.

Salary

Salaries typically start from Rs 2,50,000 and go up to Rs 10,00,000 per annum, depending on the level of experience.

Pros

You can easily start your own small-scale business.
Hard work easily pays in the form of fame and fashion shows.
The work is very creative and fun provided you have an eye for fashion.
Good pays and consistent income. The scope of this career is very high worldwide.

Cons

Long and intense working hours.
The job is very demanding and can lead to distress owing to harsh criticisms and deadlines from the client.
The industry is competitive and exhaustive.

Top Institutes

India

National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Delhi,
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Mumbai
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Kolkata
Pearl Academy, Delhi, Jaipur
Symbiosis Institute of Design, Pune
Amity University, Noida

Abroad

Parsons, The New School for Design, New York
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York
Central Saint Martins, London
London College of Fashion, London
Istituto Marangoni, Milan, Italy

Famous People

Manish Malhotra

Known for his luxurious, contemporary style that fuses traditional Indian colours, fabrics and embroidery, Malhotra is credited with helping bring Indian fashion cultures to the international stage.

Kanika Goyal

Goyal’s menswear and womenswear are guided by a mix of classic luxury and urban chic fused with paradoxical textiles and shapes. Goyal made her Lakme Fashion Week debut as a Next Gen designer this year with her Summer Resort 2015 collection, ‘Creatures of the Night’.