Thread:It’s a Fashionable World (1)

It is time for the chic fashionistas to strut their stuff. It is time for the third edition of the highly successful Bangalore Fashion Week which goes on the floors starting July 22. This four day event will showcase the best collections from designers adorned by the topmost models and attended by top celebrities. Fashion designers though form the most vital link of the ensemble. With so many platforms to showcase their designs and fashion cues changing often, designers have to be on their toes to come up with something new and attractive every time. Creativity, smartness, communication and crisis management abilities are needed the most. A dynamic profession where if one finds a footing, fame and money is never in short supply. Moreover there is space for everyone as long as creativity keeps flowing. So how does one become a fashion designer? With so many institutes offering courses in fashion designing it becomes difficult to select the right institute. Adding to the complexity is the huge demand for fashion designing course since this is one of the fastest growing sectors and with ample spotlight. Fashion designing involves less of theory and more of practical’s with a lot of insight into communication techniques, etiquettes, management techniques and crisis handling abilities. Sikkim Manipal University Distance Education (SMU-DE) has taken all these aspects in its course offering Bachelor of Science in Apparel and Fashion Designing (BScAFD). The course while focussing on elements of pattern techniques and fundamentals of designing equally focuses on imparting of soft skills and all aspects of marketing and advertising to ensure that its students are best prepared to develop a solid footing in the industry. This six semester course is complete with practical sessions, industry mentoring, specialisations and internships. With a faculty boasting of extensive industry experience, teaching method has been made easy and simple with case studies, real life examples and visual aids for accurate demonstration. The idea is to allow students to develop a holistic understanding of not just the subject in question but the industry in itself, its scope, limitations and challenges. SMU-DE students who have successfully completed this course are now working with some of the leading apparel houses in the country, a strong testimony to their level of preparedness and training. It’s a bit cliché to think that all fashion designers work for apparel manufacturers, creating designs for men, women and children for mass market consumption. Fashion designers may work full-time for one company, known as in-house designers. They may work alone or as part of a team. Freelance designers work for themselves, and sell their designs to fashion houses, directly to shops, or to clothing manufacturers. Some fashion designers are self-employed and design for individual clients. According to the Annual Reports (2006-2007), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, the domestic market will grow to the tune of Rs. 23,000 crores by 2010 and generate an additional employment for approximately 12-17 million workers of whom 5 million will be skilled in the same time span. That in turn adds up to a sea of opportunities for talented individuals to excel. We at SMU-DE understand the needs of the industry with an eye on the future and prepare our students so that they can excel in the industry and carve out a niche segment of their own.