By Ranjan K Baruah
Are you passionate about new styles, innovation or anything related with fashion? If yes, then you may choose fashion as your career. Fashion is not only fashion shows or wearing a few stylish dresses. It is more than that and one of the most creative professions is associated with fashion. Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, body posture, etc. In its everyday use, the term implies a look defined by the fashion industry as that which is trending. Everything that is considered fashion is available and popular by the fashion system.
When we look at fashion from career perspectives then many terms would come to our mind right from fashion design, interior design, textile design, footwear design, fashion photography, fashion journalism, etc. We should be aware that the domestic textiles and apparel industry contributes 5% to India’s GDP, 7% of industry output in value terms and 12% of the country’s export earnings. India is the 6th largest producer of technical textiles with 6% global share (12% CAGR), the largest producer of cotton and jute in the world. There is no doubt that the recent pandemic and lock down has negatively impacted the industry but that does not mean that the situation will be the same every day. After the pandemic is over, there would be new initiatives and activities which would certainly boom the industry.
Courses in leading institutes like National Institute of Fashion Technology include Bachelor of Design in Accessory Design, Fashion Communication, Knitwear Design, Leather Design, Textile Design and Fashion Design. In the master level course it provides courses like Master of Design, Master of Fashion Technology and Master of Fashion Management. There are many other institutes in the country that offer similar courses and also different diplomas and advanced diplomas. Admission in leading institutes is through All India Entrance test which are conducted in all leading cities of the country.
Apart from government institutes there are many private institutes offering courses related to fashion. Aspirants must be careful and vigilant while taking admission in private colleges as all institutes may not be credible and there might be issues of placement after finishing the courses. Job options include Fashion designer, Retail buyer, Retail manager, Retail merchandiser, Stylist, Textile designer, Visual merchandiser, etc. One may join in different industries or start their own initiatives like starting fashion studios or boutiques, etc.
Apart from having academic qualifications like degrees or diplomas one should have employability skills to be placed after completing the courses. One must remember that a career in fashion means one must be creative and innovative. Using technology for innovation is another way which means one must have required technological skills to be successful in this field. I have seen students and young people engaged in e-commerce activities with different products. If one is interested in selling then they can think of learning and getting trained in this field to start their own ventures. As the northeastern region is rich in diversity of clothing and other souvenirs hence our youths may take up the required degree or diploma and get engaged in promoting our rich traditions and earn at the same time. We shall write about more options related to the fashion industry in our forthcoming editions.
(The author is a career mentor, skill trainer and motivational speaker and can be reached at [email protected] or 8473943734 for any career related queries)