Eligibility for Fashion Designing

Gone are the days when youngsters in India had to head out of the country if they wished to study fashion designing. Thus, a few could afford to be a fashion designer in India. But with premier institutions like The NIFT, Vogue and JD Institute mushrooming in different prime cities of India, fashion designing has become one of the most sought-after courses in the country. Let us have a look at some important aspects such as eligibility for fashion designing courses, what does a fashion designer do, the kind of scope it offers, types of courses available in India and a few related skills that can help an individual ace this profession.

Eligibility Criteria for Fashion Designing Courses

Fashion has become an integral part of people’s existence. With social media entering the picture, the world of fashion is becoming more and more competitive. According to a recent survey, more than 5 lakh students opt for a career in fashion designing every year in India. While some choose a graduate program just after finishing higher secondary, there are several who settle for a specialised program in this field.

Listed Below are the Eligibility for Fashion Designing:

• Individuals keen on taking up a Bachelor’s in Design (Fashion Design/ Leather Design/Accessory Design/Textile Design/Knitwear Design/Fashion Communication) need to fulfil at least one of the following eligibility criteria for fashion designing courses:

• Candidate should have completed Class 12 exam from any recognised Central/State Board of Secondary Examination, such as CBSE or ISCE, New Delhi.
• Candidate should have competed any public school/board/university examination in India or in foreign countries that is recognised by the Association of Indian Universities as equivalent to 10+2 system.
• Candidate must have possess a pass grade in the Senior Secondary School Examination held by the Nation Open School with at least five subjects.

Master’s (M.Sc) in Fashion Designing Eligibility:

• Individuals keen on pursuing a Master’s degree in fashion technology need to have attained 23 years of age.
• Candidates should have completed a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Designing from a recognised University in India with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate.

• Eligibility criteria for fashion designing for a few colleges like National Institute of Fashion Technology and Symbiosis School of Design also includes an entrance exam that is held across various cities in India.

Note: There is no age limit to study fashion designing.

What does a Fashion Designer Do?

Fashion designers are one of the most followed professionals on social media after cricketers and actors in India.

• The most significant role played by a fashion designer is to conduct an in-depth research on the hottest trends in the world of clothing and instill them into consumer-specific garments using their creative as well as professional skills.
• A designer’s responsibility also includes fashion buying, designing, styling, textile planning and production, marketing and merchandising, media and communication, and quality control. So, it is common for a good fashion designer to get hired by a celebrity as their personal stylist.
• From planning airport looks to red carpet attires, from wedding functions to funerals, these stylists take care of every inch of clothing that a celebrity put on.

Fashion designers are also known to predict fashion trends and influence them, subsequently. They produce concepts and mood boards to capture the mood of a particular season.

Types of Courses Offered in the Sphere of Fashion Designing in India

Listed below are the types of courses offered in India:

• BSc in Fashion Designing
• BDes in Fashion Design
• BA in Fashion Design
• BFA in Fashion Design
• BA (Hons) Fashion Design
• Bachelor of Fashion and Apparel Design
• BBA in Fashion Design
• BSc plus MSc (Integrated) in Fashion Design
• BSc (Hons) in Fashion Designing
• Diploma plus BDes (Integrated) in Fashion
• PGD in Fashion Design
• Diploma in Fashion Designing and Garment Technology
• UG Diploma in Fashion Designing
• Undergraduate Programme in Fashion Design
• Advanced Diploma-Fashion Design
• Diploma in Fashion and Apparel Design
• MSc in Fashion Designing
• MSc in Fashion Design and Technology
• Master of Fashion Designing
• MBA-Fashion Design Management
• PHD-Fashion Designing
• MSc in Fashion Designing and Merchandising

Related Skills Required in Fashion Designing

As noted earlier, the world of fashion is getting competitive by the day. Hence, designers always have to keep an eye out for fashion trends that are reigning the runways across the globe. With each season, a new trend is introduced. From clothes to jewellery, from bags to shoes, every element of fashion keeps evolving rapidly. Therefore, apart from being creatively agile, aspiring fashion designers need the skills listed below to ace this profession:

• Decision-making
• Leadership
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving abilities
• Teamwork
• An eye for detail

Scope for Fashion Designing Students

Students who have pursued a degree in fashion designing can look for employment opportunities in the following industries:

• Garment Manufacturing Industry
• Celebrity Styling
• Accessory Designing and fashion Designing
• Textile designing and Development
• Textile Research
• Fashion Journalism