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Young World
Doing it in style
SHALINI UMACHANDRAN
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Fashion designers need to have a flair for colours, shades and tones.
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Paris and New York may be the fashion capitals of the world, but India has made a mark on the international fashion scene with its rich silks, traditional prints, vibrant colours and intricate needlework. Quite a few Indian designers have been requested to create clothes for Hollywood personalities, even for their Grammy and Oscar night appearances. Though there is a great deal of glamour in the field — ramp shows, extensive shoots, rubbing shoulders with the glitterati — a career in the fashion industry also involves gritty work. Essentially fashion designers need to have a flair for colours, shades and tones and the flair to combine textiles and textures. This involves an understanding of the market, knowledge about fabric, weaves, materials and colours and keeping track of international trends and styles. A designer also needs basic tailoring skills such as cutting, sewing and draping. Top designers are usually very imaginative and original, their designs even bordering on the wacky. Creativity and drawing skills are essential. Courses in fashion give one a foundation in drawing, draping, pattern making, construction, fabric selection and presentation of design ideas. There are numerous sub-specialities to choose from, such as leather design, accessory design, footwear design, knitwear design and technology, jewellery design, interior products, computer aided design, apparel merchandising, cloth technology and more.
The minimum educational qualification to enter most design institutes is a Std. XII pass, but a number of students also opt for this line after graduation. Some personal qualities and attributes that would help someone entering this industry are an artistic temperament, and of course, a passion for style.
India's many quality fashion designers have turned the field into a multi-crore industry with career opportunities as designers, buyers, stylists, illustrators, co-ordinators, manufacturers, visual merchandisers, consultants, and even marketing managers, journalists and photographers. Salaries usually depend on the skills and talent of the individual. A fashion designer can look forward to working with an established designer, clothing or textile company supplying to the domestic market, an export house, or even design costumes for film and theatre. A designer can also open his/her own boutique or freelance for export or domestic companies.
Where to learn
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) - New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai
National Institute of Design (NID) — Paldi, Ahmedabad
National Institute of Fashion Design, Chandigarh
Wigan & Leigh College — New Delhi and Bangalore
Sophia B.K. Somani Polytechnics — Mumbai
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