A career in the fashion industry is perceived to be glamorous and lucrative but what most people don’t know is that it’s challenging and hectic; to keep up with the latest trends, to factor in changes that take place, to understand the market, to cater to consumer demands, to expel creativity in stressful atmospheres.

The path to becoming a fashion designer is filled with obstacles that require discipline and talent to overcome. It all begins with getting into a good college that will help you develop and polish your skills. While there are 3 year and 4 year programs, a 4 year program is always preferable. In those four years students will learn about fabric, techniques and technology. Students will enter the industry with head start with the kind of training they receive from institutions like NIFT. NIFT also has a reputed alumni base, who hold enviable positions in the industry today like Sabayasachi Mukherji, Manish Arora, Ritu Kumar and Ritu Beri.

A degree in Fashion Design can prepare you for a number of job opportunities in the Fashion Industry. Students can try for Fashion Design Exams at UG (B.Des/B.F.Tech) or PG (M.Des/M.F.Tech) level.

Students of Fashion design can choose to specialize in areas like Apparel Design , Lifestyle Accessory Design , Leather Design, Textile Design, Jewellery Design, Knitwear Design Fashion Communication. Colleges other than NIFT’s offer other streams as well.

Options of specialization are Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech), Masters of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech) and Master of Fashion Management (MFM).

Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech or M.F.Tech) in Apparel Production is related to the technical aspects of real world problems associated with Apparel Design and Development, Manufacturing Technology, Production and other allied areas. These students typically get employment at Large fashion Production houses.

Fashion Management (M.F.M) aspirants are exposed to the application of Knowledge and Skills to manage areas like – Brand Management, Fashion Merchandizing, Intellectual Property, Social Media Marketing, Luxury Management Services marketing, e-Commerce, Entrepreneurship and other areas. These students typically get employment at Large fashion design studios and corporate organizations.

Students who’ve graduated from NIFT or other well known universities have many choices, professionally speaking .The training they receive equips them to explore multiple domains of the Fashion Industry as listed:

• Fashion Designers :

  One of the highest profile roles in the industry, designers are the creative genius’ who work on the design of clothing and fashion ranges. Designers can work in any specialism, from handbags to sportswear to children’s wear.

• Fashion Photographer :

  Fashion photography is a coveted job, such photographers are sought after in magazines, catalogs, advertising agencies and can also be self employed once they’ve established themselves.

• Stylist :

  Stylists assess the overall appearance and needs of each client to determine which styling techniques and/or makeup will help the client achieve the desired look. With a good clientele this occupation is certainly lucrative.

• Visual Merchandiser :

  A merchandiser help execute the ideas put forth by their boss or corporate team, who decide on a certain theme or set of standard that need to be met, and then translate it to how the store’s merchandise is arranged.

• Garment Technologist :

  They are involved in choosing the appropriate fabric and designs, they work with patterns so they oversee sizing, fitting and material testing, they also analyses the product returns and faults.

• Fashion Editor :

  Typical work includes supervising other editors and writers, writing or editing articles themselves, formulating and styling fashion photo shoots, choosing photos for publication, choosing fashion items. Looking up trends for publication ,researching trends in the fashion industry.

• Fashion Production Manager :

  The fashion industry production manager may assume the role of event planner, overseeing model fittings and acting as a liaison between hair stylists and makeup professionals to convey the designer’s styling directions.

• Product Specialists :

  They develop materials from research, to production, to distribution , to presentation to customer reception. They are responsible for assessing future and planning for future product lines.

• Chief Innovation Officer :

  This occupation requires the individual to create innovation plans researching new products and assessing target market and current trends.

Generally, the first year is common and students choose their specializations in their subsequent academic years. various specialization courses are listed below:

Bachelor Programmes - Bachelor of Design (B.Des) - Design

• Fashion Design (FD) - Provides holistic inputs on generic design with focused approach towards apparel inculcates the ability to develop and channelize creativity.
• Leather Design (LD) - Lays emphasis on Fashion, Footwear and Accessories Industry while focusing on an integrative design perspective within the Industry requirements.
• Accessory Design (AD) - A comprehensive study of fashion accessory, design processes on a social/cultural context
• Textile Design (TD) - Stresses on Woven, print design, embroidery and surface embellishment are the core textile subjects.
• Knitwear Design (KD) - Focuses on Knitwear apparel, Garment Construction, Pattern Making for Knits, Flat and Circular Knitting, Computerized Flat Knitting etc.
• Fashion Communication (FC) - An extensive study of brand identity, visual merchandising and fashion journalism.

Bachelor Programme - Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech.) - Technology

• Apparel Production (AP) - The course curriculum aims to introduce different essential streams including apparel manufacturing technology, information technology, quality management, etc.

Master Programmes

• Master of Design (M.Des.) - ‘Master of Design’ degree caters to this multi-disciplinary and dynamic nature of job profiles that seek professionals who can work in versatile environments.
• Master of Fashion Management (M.F.M) - In this course they are exposed to creative merchandising/ marketing, innovative fashion management practices, Information technology developments, directions of fashion trends and business practices through field visits and industry internships
• Master of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech.) - The programme adopts a holistic approach towards cultivating postgraduate students meant for techno managerial roles in the fashion and allied manufacturing sector.

Note: Fashion Design has its own programmes classified into various courses which are covered in detail on our Fashion Design Page.