Fashion Designing has emerged as one of the most preferred careers among the youths. With their own creative style of dressing they believe in setting a trend rather than following a trend set by others. A career in Fashion Design involves interacting with glamorous people and also gives an impetus to the creative flair of the people who possess a sense of style.

India enjoys a prominent place in the international market with its handloom fabrics, rich silks, bucolic textures and effervescent dyes. Encumbered markets with enchanting designs are largely the contribution of Indian fashion designers. Designers understanding the needs of their clients create eye-catching and functional garments according to the latest trends, market demand, while keeping a close watch on the style, colour, texture, size and material.

A Fashion designer should be artistic and creative to express their ideas in sketches. They must be able to combine colours and shades. Designers need to have visual imagination and the ability to think in three-dimension to translate into garments what they visualize.

The specialization in the area of work in the fashion industry includes:

    * Design Department

    * Marketing and Merchandising

    * Manufacturing department

    * Fashion coordinators

The Design department:

    * Sketch their ideas.

    * Draw and cut patterns to create sample garments.

    * Select fabric and trimmings.

    * Combine basic dressmaking and tailoring principles with flat pattern work and draping techniques.

    * Fit and modify the finished garment.

    * Arrange showings for press and buyers when the sample garment line is ready.

    * Compare merchandise with those of the competitors.

    * Keep current on trends by reading trade magazines and attending fashion shows.

    * Visit textile showrooms to keep up to date on latest fabrics.

The Marketing and Merchandising department:

With the changing trends in the fashion industry, marketing amd merchandising experts require a good knowledge of  constantly changing fashion trends along with sales data and organizations marketing objectives. Based on this information the marketing department plans the company's overall direction.  Fashion merchandising schools train students to:

    * Working with a team of fashion industry professionals

    * Learn how to make decisions and take risks

    * Develop key marketing skills

    * Learn about sales and promotion

    * Predict styles, trends, and patterns of the industry

    * Handle media communications

    * Evaluate the needs of a target market or demographic

    * Working with photography, magazine layouts, and other media materials

    * Promote runway shows and learn the guidelines of the industry

    * Attend fashion shows

The Manufacturing department:

The production manager is at the incharge of the manufacturing unit. He is responsible for scheduling work goals, training of workers, managing all activities in order to maintain quality in production. The Production manager supervises the work from pattern grading, spreading and marking to cutting, assembling and finishing. Along with the production manager are the production assistants who supervise the work at each level.

Fashion coordinators:

Fashion Coordinators are responsible for creating a unified look and feel across all fashion divisions of a department house. They are constantly monitoring industry publications and talking to designers in order to understand industry trends and keep up with the latest development in the fashion industry. Fashion directors need to assess the potential success of a garment or clothing line and determine the best plan for promotion and marketing. Fashion coordinators then share their analyses with retail salespeople to guide them in making customer recommendations. Further thay also help in coordinating and organizing fashion shows, supervising fashion photography shoots for promotions.

Career Prospects

There is a wide career prospect for work with the various sectors dealing with fashion industry. The opportunities for job exist in the following sectors:

   * Export houses dealing with garment/textile/handloom exports.

   * Haute Courture

   * Fashion show organisers/Fashion publishers

   * Retail and wholesale garment businesses in men's/women's/children clothing in sportswear /casual wear, etc.

    * TV/Film fashion programme producers/comperes/costume designers, etc.

    * Government/Semi government-handloom/textile manufacturers

    * The list of the best fashion designing Institutes in India includes:

    * NIFT or National Institute of Fashion Technology

    * Apeejay Institute of Design JD Institute of Fashion Technology

    * BIFT or Bangalore Institute of Fashion Technology

    * Amity School of Fashion Technology

    * IIFT or International Institute Of Fashion Technology

    * The Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology

    * Raffles Design Institute

    * NIFD or National Institute of fashion Design

    * BIFT or Bangalore Institute of Fashion Technology

The National Institute of Fashion Technology was set up in 1986 under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. The eligibility for Bachelor programme in Design that is B.FTech. (Fashion Design / Leather Design / Accessory Design / Textile Design / Knitwear Design / Fashion Communication) is:

The +2 level examination in the 10+2 pattern of examination of any recognised Central/State Board of Secondary Examination, such as Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi, and Council for Indian School of Certificate Examination, New Delhi.

or

Any Public School/Board/University Examination in India or in Foreign countries recognised by the Association of Indian Universities as equivalent to 10+2 system.

or

A pass grade in the Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Open School with a minimum of five subjects.