An article written by Mr.Rc Dalal,Executive Director (JD Institute of Fashion Technology)

Introduction

 Fashion design is a functional art committed to the designing of clothing and lifestyle accessories. This art is influenced by intellectual and shared attitudes and has evolved over the time and place. Fashion designing has come a long way from the designer clothes worn by the crowned heads of the ancient world to the haute couture products of the present.

Fashion designing is one of the most, appealing, exciting, lucrative and glamorous career options in today’s world. If you have a inclination for style, creativity and originality, a career in fashion designing is the one tailor made for you. The fashion industry satisfies the artistic fancies and the materialistic needs of the people. It promises glamour, success, fame and a high pay package to the talented people.

Fashion Designing is a demanding career, where fashion designers need to combine their creativity with managerial skills to keep going in this industry. Therefore, if you can craft magic with colours, shapes and designs, then just obtain a professional course to embark on a successful career in the fascinating world of fashion designing.

Start Early

 The word ‘fashion’ immediately illusionist up the images of glitz and glamour. The onset of the International fashion market in India has given a thrust to the fashion industry which has emerged as the booming industry. These are some of the attributes which have attracted so many young people to foray into the fashion industry.

While the educational necessities are not very high, you need considerable aptitude and talent to be labelled “designer” material. You must be exceedingly inventive to mingle colours, shades and textures and express your ideas through sketches.

Your battle for admission into a reputed fashion institute will begin straight after school. Subjects like drawing, home science, computer graphics and painting, will widen your creativity.

By the time you wrap up the course you will have mastered the step-by-step making of a garment: from designing to pattern making, production and even marketing.

Is it the right career for me?

 A career in fashion designing is precise if you are talented and exude style in everything you do. You must also possess the ability to be unique and creative and love to make people look good.

Further, you must be creative enough to team up colours, shades and textures and express your ideas through sketches. You must also envision new design, patters, garments and accessories and enjoy working with fabrics and accessories.

If you have all this and more in you then you are all, set to step into the arena of fashion designing.

What would it Cost Me?

 The fee composition varies from institution to institution. However, on an average you will have to dish out more than Rs. 45,000 per annum to pursue a course in Fashion Designing from a reputed institution.

Job Prospect

This industry offers abundance of opportunities for artistic, hard working and enthusiastic people. The scenario for fashion design graduates is looks good thanks to the enormous and still increasing demand for “designer wear” and the equally outsized quantity of exports.

After successful achievement of the course, you can remain self employed. Alternatively, several garment store chains, export houses, leather companies, textile mills, boutiques, fashion show organizers and jewellery houses recruit professionals fascinated in a career in fashion designing.

Pay Packet

The initial monthly package can be roughly Rs.10, 000 to Rs.15, 000. With experience, you will acquire ripeness in designing skills and a few years down the line your earnings would be in the range of Rs.30, 000 to Rs.40, 000 per month. Certainly, if you become a reputed designer you could demand the world.

Great fashion designers salary always shows an increasing moving trend. However, hard work and a cognizant effort to update the latest trends in the fashion industry are imperative.

Positives

• The scope of fashion design is such that it’s cut out for success.
• There are some glamorous aspects to this business, you may get to rub shoulders with the rich and famous, but reaching there is absolute hard work.

Top Companies

1. Fashion houses run by top fashion designers such as: Abu Jani, JJ Valaya, Manish Malhotra, Neeta Lulla, Rina Dhaka, Ritu Beri, Ritu Kumar, Rohit Bal,  Sandeep Khosla, Tarun Tahiliani and so on.
2. Top notch garment and textile export houses
3. Textile and fabric manufacturing units
4. Exclusive and branded fashion showrooms

Tips for getting Hired

1. Make a great portfolio that showcases your creative talents
2. Apprenticeship under a well-known designer is desirable for getting hired in this industry
3. Thoroughly research the market before making a foray into it
4. Do freelancing for fashion houses and boutiques
5. Be creative, exclusive and innovative
6. Don’t be impulsive and impatient
7. Don’t get disheartened by rejections, understand your drawbacks and work on it
8. Start affordable and once you have proved yourself, you can go for the stars