Benefits of Studying Fashion Designing Course At A Leading College

Are you a fashion aficionado and a design enthusiast? If yes, you should choose fashion designing as the career option

A mere mention of the word 'fashion' conjures up images of trendy apparels, exciting fashion shows and models with effortless poses. So, if you are a fashion aficionado and can recall the likes of Alexander McQueen, Anita Dongre, Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla at one instance, you should consider fashion designing as a career option. Fashion design courses have emerged as sought-after disciplines owing to umpteen career choices, a vast amount of exposure, growth, attractive avenues and networking opportunities they offer. A McKinsey report estimates that India's apparel market alone will be worth $59.3 billion by 2022 making it the sixth-largest in the world.

Although there is no dearth of fashion designing colleges in India, choosing the right institute should be your foremost priority to give a strategic direction to your career early on. There is no one size fits all' approach in choosing a suitable design institute. It depends upon the specialization, budget and the career path one wants to pursue. While placements always seem to be the centre of discussion before choosing a course, however,  one must really evaluate the institute on multiple parameters such as faculty, curriculum and pedagogy, quality of infrastructure, internship and exposure to practical work to get a better idea of what skills one will acquire. As the chinese philosopher Lao Tzu has very aptly said - “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”.  Fashion designing courses offered by the leading institutions will help you be employable in the following ways:

Building a strong foundation: Fashion design courses build a strong foundation of the aesthetic and visualization principles and teaches the intricacies of the design process from sketching, cutting, pattern-making, stitching, construction etc.

Equipping the novices with next-generation skills: The dynamic economic scenario and digitization has underscored the significance of a diverse skill-set such as design thinking, soft skills, tech-savviness, sensitivity to colours and shades, an eye for details, among others. Leading colleges for fashion designing provide an excellent ecosystem to inculcate and nurture these skills to help you stay relevant amid stiff competition. It also perpetuates a culture of lifelong learning to help you constantly unlearn and relearn in tune with the industry requirements over time.

Robust Infrastructure: Infrastructure provides access to appropriate tools and resources to foster an ecosystem for learning. Leading fashion designing colleges have robust infrastructure and cutting-edge technology such as a construction lab, a variety of sewing machines, integrated studios, dummies, digital resources library to make learning an interactive and immersive experience.

Faculty: The role of faculty in these colleges for fashion designing  is paramount in mentoring students and bringing out their full potential for a successful career ahead. Top design institutes have experienced members in the faculty with subject-matter expertise in their relevant discipline. These members are drawn from both academics and industry. A good student-faculty ratio, project based learning, one-on-one sessions for feedback to students, masterclasses with the industry, crits etc are some of the key value propositions that leading institutes offer.

Updated curriculum with Practical exposure: Fashion design is a dynamic field. Hence fashion design courses must be updated and evolve in tune with the requirements of the industry. Environment friendly, ethical and economical practises must be inculcated in the learners.  Relevant industry exposure through guest lectures, industry visits, live and collaborative projects, internships, field visits etc play a pivotal role in imparting futuristic skills and preparing students to be industry-ready.

Placement and Career Avenues: Leading fashion designing colleges have a vibrant placement cell that collaborates with reputed global fashion houses to help students embark on the exciting journey of fashion. Fashion designing is a broad discipline offering a plethora of career options. A placement cell helps students identify their key interest areas and choose their career path accordingly. Moreover, these institutes have comprehensive training and development programmes for students to hone relevant skills, help them prepare their portfolio and face an interview and build useful networks.

Alumni Support: Alumni are brand ambassadors of fashion designing institutes and play a significant role in mentoring novices and encouraging them to set benchmarks in excellence in their respective fields. A strong alumni network is a win-win partnership among colleges, students and alumni. An effective alumni cell makes alumni an active stakeholder in the institutes’ development activities and facilitates networking, placement opportunities, mentorship, scholarships etc.

Leading fashion designing colleges have the right mix of all the above value propositions to help students realize their dream of career in fashion design. Growing fashion consciousness, exposure to Avante-Garde lifestyle, industry-academic-government collaborations promise bright prospects for the fashion design industry in times to come. The interplay of technology, conducive policy landscape and focus on innovation through fashion entrepreneurship present an exciting time for the Indian fashion industry.