Fashion Designing in India

India has a rich and varied textile heritage, where each region of India has its own unique native costume and traditional attire. While traditional clothes are still worn in most of rural India, urban India is changing rapidly, with international fashion trends reflected by the young and glamorous, in the cosmopolitan metros of India. Fashion in India is a vibrant scene, a nascent industry and a colorful and glamorous world where designers and models start new trends every day.

While previously a master weaver was recognized for his skill, today a fashion designer is celebrated for his or her creativity. Young urban Indians can choose from the best of East and West as Indian fashion designers are inspired by both Indian and western styles. This fusion of fashion can be seen on the streets and ramps of the fashionable cities of India. Fashion in India is also beginning to make its mark on the international scene as accessories such as bindis (red dots worn on the forehead), mehendi (designs made by applying henna to the palms of the hands and other parts of the body) and bangles, have gained international popularity, after being worn by fashion icons like the pop singers Madonna and Gwen Stephani.

Eligibility : Minimum eligibility for the Undergraduate course in this field is 10+2 with 50% marks and for Post Graduate courses graduation.

Career Prospects

There are opportunities for work with the various sectors dealing with fashion. The opportunities for job exist in the following sectors :

• Export houses dealing with garment/textile/handloom exports.
• Retail and wholesale garment businesses in men's/women's/children clothing in sportswear /casual wear, etc.
• Haute Courture
• Government/Semi government-handloom/textile manufacturers
• Fashion show organisers/Fashion publishers
• TV/Film fashion programme producers/comperes/costume designers, etc.

• Specialization in Work

  The main area of work in the fashion industry are :

  1. Design Department : Manufacturing units work on a large scale. They employ designers, cutting assistants, sketching assistants, junior designers. Cutting assistants have to cut samples as per specifications of the designer. This is followed by draping and garment construction. Sketching assistants make the technical sketches of the garment which are passed on to cutting assistants. From the making of specification drawings decide how a garment has to be fabricated to the selection of fabrics is often the duty of the sketching assistant. Junior designers generally do the first pattern cutting. They assemble the first samples with fabrics they have selected from the market.
  2. Marketing and Merchandising : Fashion trends are constantly changing, the people in the merchandising and marketing have a good knowledge of fashion trends, of sales data and the organisations marketing objectives. Based on this information the marketing department plans the company's overall direction. It determines the price, product requirement, and hence they often work with the styling department when a new product id concieved.
  3. Manufacturing department : The production manager is at the head of the manufacturing unit. He is responsible for scheduling work goals, training of workers, managing all activities in order to maintain quality in production. The Production manager oversees the work of pattern cutting - from pattern grading, spreading and marking to cutting, assembling and finishing. With the production manager are the production assistants who supervise the work at each stage.
  4. Fashion coordinators : They coordinate with the buyer and the production manager. The fashion coordinator makes sure production schedules are kept, meets buyers goes through specification for fabrics, colours, designs, and keeps an eye on the quality.When buyers give their own designs, the coordinator helps decide the fabric coloursand accessories that should be used to suit the designs. They explain the design to the production pattern makers and get sample pieces made. The sample is draped on a dummy to see if some changes in details or style are required. Once the sample is finalised, its pieces are measured precisely. It is the coordinator who suggests how the cloth should be cut so as to minimise wastage. The garment is then finally presented for sale.

INSTITUTES IN INDIA: