An N.I.F.T. New Delhi Graduate and Fashion Designer, Prof. Garima Singh ji is currently guiding fashion designing students at a reputed institute in Delhi. Excerpts from a conversation with Dwijendra Kumar:
Q1. How is a trained fashion designer different from glorified tailors working in reputed tailoring houses?
Ans: It is not impossible to excel in a creative field based on pure skill, but that involves a very long and tedious process. Education provides one with the right techniques and tools to get there faster & more efficiently. The trained fashion designers have a huge advantage of knowledge that equips them to avoid practical hurdles that untrained designers face. Fashion education has a practical, Industry based curricula that aims to equip aspiring fashion professionals with not just the facts but also hands on practical training.
Q2. What are the newly introduced concepts in the field of fashion education including sustainability and patenting? How does it help a fashion designing student?
Ans: Fashion is a constantly evolving industry and due to the transformative nature of the field, fashion education must evolve to keep up with the times. With increasing environment consciousness, the concepts of circularity and sustainability have become the part and parcel of Fashion education. In a creative industry, knowledge of intellectual property rights is essential. Special focus now is on educating the aspirants on the concepts of Patenting, Trademark, Copyright etc to enable them to protect their intellectual property. Fashion has always been a research- based industry but fashion education is focused on formal ethical research practices now which leads to more meaningful content creation. Students are encouraged to contribute actively to reputed journals.
Q3. How you foresee future prospects of a fashion designing student?
Ans: Fashion is one of the most dynamic industries catering to a plethora of aptitude & attitudes. From the rich Handlooms & Handicrafts to the highflying corporate structures, from pure design to production, marketing, merchandising & communication the fashion industry employs and involves people with varied preferences & interests. It has also a part of the essential requirements for quality life and hence the future in fashion is bright. Fashion professionals are much in demand in the domestic as well as international markets.
Q4. What’s is your take on exports of fashion and accessories products?
Ans: India has built a reputation of being a reliable destination for fashion sourcing globally owing to the competitive prices and quality products. The Pandemic affected the exports adversely with many small vendors and enterprises incurring huge losses. The Export industry is slowly picking up the pieces and getting back on track with orders and contracts being renewed lest in an overall more sustainable manner.
Q5. Is a formal training in fashion education imperative for a successful career in fashion designing?
Ans: As I mentioned earlier, Fashion education provides you with the essential knowledge and skills to excel in the industry. While it is possible to do well in the industry on the basis of pure talent and hard work, the journey can prove to be very difficult. My favourite analogy here is; It’s possible to climb a steep hill on foot, but the journey is smoother if you are driving an ATV. Fashion education is the ATV that gets you to the top efficiently if you have the passion for success.
