More than any other art form, fashion designing is the one place where substance meets style. A vibrant realm, it has been a perennial favourite when it comes to career choices. If it is in your nature to follow the latest clothing and accessories trends and create your own personal sense of style, then fashion design may be a good career choice for you.

What is fashion design? It is not just about making garments. Sure, a fashion designer needs to be adept in fashion and textile basics to create great garments. But ultimately, this field is about making someone express their individuality and feel confident while doing so. In that sense, it is also a deep passion in addition to being a skill and an art. Curiosity about concepts, trends and fabrics coupled with a vision and close attention to detail can take an aspiring designer far, even well outside India and on to the global stage.

The globalization of fashion and the glamour quotient associated with the profession has attracted a rising number of aspirants into this field. Designers who are competent, visionary, and radiate a distinctive sense of style are in high demand today. Planning a career in this field requires passion for the field, readiness to invest time and money to acquire the skills required, and an ability to straddle a demanding marketplace and lots of competition.

This is a field with plenty of money and opportunity for those with ambition, the right skills, and a persistent attitude towards converting their imagination into reality.

 Types of Fashion Designers:

• Garment / Clothing Designers
• Footwear / Leather Designers
• Costume / Attire Designers
• Accessories and Jewellery Designers

 Scope of a fashion designer:

• Fashion research
• Concept creation and management
• Fabric design
• Garment designing
• Quality control
• Colour mixing and matching
• Buying and Planning
• Printing and refinement
• Merchandise planning and analysis
• Fashion accessory designing
• Fashion merchandising
• Category planning
• Marketing and Brand Promotions

Places where fashion designers can get work:

• Media houses
• Big fashion houses
• Garment export houses
• Brand showrooms
• Haute couture
• Jewellery houses
• Major retailers
• Fashion shows and allied areas
• Fashion manufacturing and distribution network
• Government or semi government organizations
• Television programs
• Film producing units
• Teaching institutions

The scope of fashion design is vast, and graduates may pursue one or more of the below profiles:

• Self-employment / entrepreneurship
• Costume coordinator
• Costume designer
• Assistant designer
• Fashion illustrator
• Pattern maker or designer
• Fashion designer
• Fashion merchandiser or stylist
• Art directors
• Industrial designers
• Models
• Floral designers
• Buyers and merchandisers
• Technical designer
• Apparel production manager
• Quality control manager
• Illustrator
• Retail manager
• Brand promoter
• Media consultant

The above list keeps expanding. Selecting the one that works best for you depends on your creative vision, the discipline to master the skills, and ambition to climb the ladder.