Gauri Chhabra
Thepaparazzi at the recent Cannes Festival has once again proved that if there is one change that is the constant- it is Fashion. Whether it was Aishwarya Rai’s uberdresses orsinger Cheryl Cole’s vivid couture gowns, it has been the most talked of event in the entire fiesta. For those of you are starry eyed by this great show and wish to script a career that is as jazz as this, you ought to be taking up a degree in Fashion. From photography to PR and design to merchandising, whichever area of the fashion industry you choose to specialize in, a fashion degree could be the key to a huge array of exciting career options.
Some fashion companies will hire you right off the street without any college education, but most require a bachelor’s degree. If you wish to pursue a career in fashion, there are a myriad degrees to choose from.When considering a fashion job, the first step is to find out if a degree is necessary to qualify and, if so, which degree.
Eligibility Criteria:
Minimum eligibility for an undergraduate course in this field is 10+2 with 50% marks. In the prominent institutes like NIFT and Pearl Academy, admission is strictly on merit- through written test i.e. CAT (Creative Ability Test), GAT (General Ability Test), situation test, group discussion and interview. GAT comprises questions on Quantitative Ability, English Comprehension, Logical Ability, General Knowledge, Current Affairs and Problem Solving.CAT tests candidates on power of observation, creativity of thought and design and discerning ability. The weightage of each test depends upon the institute you are getting into.
Let’s have a look at the degrees:
BA in Fashion Design:
If you wish to increase the surface area of the career options open before you, this is one degree you can opt for. With the proliferation of digital media, easy access to information, economic growth and rise of the aspirational bourgeois seeking upward mobility, the career options after this degree are huge.It is not only limited to clothing, accessories and lifestyle products but also to sophisticated aesthetic experiences that address issues of self-expression and self-definition. In fact, after a BA in Fashion Design, you may go for tangential jobs as design analysts as part of fashion-business intelligence teams and product design teams.International Fashion houses and labels are sourcing designers trans-nationally with expertise in varied techniques, crafts, materials and an understanding of global-markets, cultures, and technological innovations in the field.
BA in Fashion Media Communication:
If you wish to communicate fashion through various media formats, you may opt for an UG degree in Fashion Media Communication in which you would study Elements and Principles of Fashion Design, Fashion Value Chain, Product Categories, Fashion Weeks, e-Fashion Retail and Trend Forecasts to promote fashion and lifestyle brands. Editing and writing for different formats such as print, broadcast and digital are also a core element of this course which would give you an exposure to areas such as visual merchandising, styling, graphic design, display and exhibit design, advertising, public relations and creative writing. It would hone creativity, innovation and judgment along with an acumen to formulate, develop and communicate conceptual arguments rooted in the context of fashion promotion.
BA Interior Architecture & Design:
If you have a flair for bringing about a symbiosis between theoretical, technical, artistic, and creative disciplines, this degree is for you. In practice, you would execute projects for business and commercial establishments; places for recreation and hospitality; health and cultural institutions and residential interiors.
BA in Fashion and Lifestyle Business Management:
This course is designed to give you a foothold both in India and abroad.You will build a sound grounding for Fashion & Lifestyle Business competencies in core technical areas like Fashion Product Development, Fashion Marketing, Fashion Retailing, Fashion Logistics and Operations Management, Production Planning and Control Systems, Visual Merchandising and Retail Operations. It would engage you in real world experiences, so that a fair mix of theoretical knowledge and practical familiarities is achieved to foster learning.
BA in Luxury Brand Management:
Luxury is the new necessity. If the field of brand recognition, brand attention and brand recall interest you, you may gear up for this degree. You will learn about luxury retail operations and luxury retailing management along with buying and merchandising. High economic growth has witnessed a corresponding boom, resulting in an increased demand for luxury goods. Therefore, the industry opens its doors for highly competent luxury professionals who can take up key positions in as marketing, retail operations, merchandising & buying, besides other related areas in the luxury sector.
B.Sc. Textile Design
This course in Fashion Design would train you in the techniques for the development of designs and the making of garments, responding to varying needs in the fashion industry. Starting with the techniques in design, you learn about the analysis of fabrics and clothing manufacturing, as well as aspects of production. The study of fashion trends allow for the creation of a collection that responds to the needs of the target brand. Today. ICT is also integrated within the curriculum and you learn about textile sewing, and printing, garment designing, manufacturing, and processing machines.
BBA Fashion Design:
For aspirants of a degree in Management, this degree would help you irrespective of the segment you choose in the industry. The course content addresses all aspects of the industry right from procurement of raw materials to marketing the finished products.
B.Des Communication Design
The four year Fashion Communication is one of the newest, most exciting avenues to open up in the fashion and lifestyle industry. Today, the success of a brand is marked and understood largely through its uniqueness in identity. With a multitude of prêt and luxury brands coming up in the Indian retail landscape, it has become essential for each one of ‘them’ to develop a unique brand identity for maximum impact in the domain of Fashion and Lifestyle. Thus, ‘Fashion Communication’ forms the core of the whole business of Fashion and encompasses integrated course study relating with areas such as Graphic Design, Fashion Journalism, Visual Merchandising, Styling and Photography, Advertising, Public Relations and Space Design. Equipped with an intensive skill, knowledge and concept base, you will emerge as dynamic professionals qualified to offer the most effective and financially viable communication solutions for the fashion and lifestyle industry
B. Des Textile Design
This four year bachelor program forms the core of the whole business of fashion. The rapidly expanding activities in the export and domestic sectors of the Indian apparel and home fashion industry demands professional inputs in design and development of textiles and raw material, which is responsible for 60-80% of the cost of the product. It is that strategic activity that can make all the difference in transforming a fashion business into an economically viable and profitable proposition. This degree equips you with broad-spectrum education in textiles while developing creativity, originality and design application in apparel and home fashion industries.
Institute Scape:
” National Institute of Fashion Technology,NIFT(Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai) offering B.Des Fashion Design, B.Des Textile Design and B.Des Fashion Technology in Apparel Management.
” Pearl Academy of Fashion (Delhi) offering BA in Fashion Media Communication, BA in Interior Architecture Design, BA in Luxury Brand Management and BA in Fashion and Lifestyle Management.
” Symbiosis Institute of Design (Pune) offering B.Des Communication Design and B.DesFashion Design.
” International Institute of Fashion Technology,IIFT (New Delhi) B.Sc. Fashion Design and BBA Fashion Design.
” Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology (Bengaluru) offering BA in Fashion Design and BA in Textile Design.
” Northern Institute of Fashion and Technology, Mohali offering B.Sc. Fashion Design
And B.Sc. Textile Design.
Which one should you go in for?
Fashion designing is a very lucrative profession these days. Many reputed institutes are already running fashion design courses and many new institutes too are foraying into this field of study. With so many myriad options to choose from, the question arises, which one is better? A Government institute or a private one? The best known is NIFT that has centres in Bengaluru , Bhopal , Bhubaneswar , Chennai , Gandhinagar , Hyderabad , Jodhpur , Kangra , Kannur , Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi,and Patna.National Institute of Design (NID) holds great importance in the eyes of many aspiring fashion designers as it brings along a combination of one of the finest curriculum and faculty in the field of fashion designing. One of the comparatively newer private institutes, Pearl Academy has its programs approved by Nottingham Trent University, UK. Its tie up list ranges from institutes in London, Toronto, Tokyo and Germany.A govt. institute is almost always a better value based on cost. Private colleges have a financial incentive to keep as many students as they can, which at times leads to higher grade inflation. Moreover, Public universities generally have better industry linkages and are more recognized by employers than private colleges.
Summing up:
Therefore, if you wish to explore the fast changing world of Fashion, you may navigate through the degree that best gels with your interest and aptitude and script sartorial success…
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