Fashion education must address concerns of Textile, Garment and Lifestyle Industry

at 4:08 pm
Representative Pic

By Dwijendra Kumar

Gaining excellence in a creative field requires the amalgamation of skills as well as the right education. Without education, the journey becomes a long and tedious one.

Fashion education enables one to use proper tools and techniques to do tasks efficiently.

It provides one with the necessary skills and knowledge required to gain excellence in this field.

The knowledge of well-trained fashion designers sets them apart from untrained designers. The curricula for fashion education involve both factual information as well as practical training.

Fashion is a reflection of society and as society evolves and changes, so does fashion. Adaptation to changing times ensures the growth of fashion.

In contemporary times, there has been an increase in focus on taking care of the environment. As a result, sustainability and circularity have found a prominent place in fashion education.

In addition, if one is to work in a creative field, one should know about patents, copyrights, and trademarks. Intellectual property rights knowledge is crucial for ensuring that one’s authentic product or ideas are not stolen or used by anyone else.

Ethical research practices ensure the creation of original and useful content.

What sets the fashion industry apart from other industries is its dynamic nature. It has the privilege to address the needs and wants of people with various interests and attitudes. Be it the needs of the rich handloom culture of India or that of corporate structures, fashion fulfils and caters to people with various interests.

It involves the detailed process of designing, producing, marketing, and selling the product. This ensures a high demand in the field of fashion in both the domestic and international domains.

India’s constant supply of quality products and reasonable prices has made it a popular and reputable destination for global fashion sourcing.

The Indian garment and textiles industry accounts for 7% of industrial output, 2% of the country’s GDP, and 14% of total export earnings.

Recognizing the need for formal education, there has been a rise in formal education being provided in fashion, textiles, and design in the last few decades. This has resulted in increased specialization.

As India is a popular global hub, there has been an increase in career opportunities for technically skilled specialists and designers.

To create a brand or business it is imperative to enhance one’s skills in various aspects of the business- be it finance, marketing, or content creation. To cater to this need with regard to the fashion industry, various specialized courses across the country have been created.

National Institute of Fashion Technology, a premier organization under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, imparts training in Fashion Design and related subjects and offers under graduation courses in Fashion Design at its Delhi and other centres.

Trained professionals get easily absorbed in various export and manufacturing houses.

National Institute of Design, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industries, offers many courses including the following in the field at its Ahmedabad Centre: 4 years Bachelor of Design programme in Industrial Design, 4 years Bachelor of Design programme in Communication Design, 4 years Bachelor of Design programme in Textile, Apparel, Lifestyle & Accessory Design and 4 years Bachelor of Design programme in Ceramic & Glass Design.

NID has got campuses located in Gandhinagar and Bengaluru also.

NID Ahmedabad  Campus altogether offers eight Bachelor Degree Programmes and seven Master Degree Programmes  of 2.5 years’ duration. Of late, Ph.D Programme  of 5 years  has been introduced here.  NID Gandhinagar Campus offers  seven masters programmes of the duration 2.5 years. NID Bengaluru Campus  offers five masters programmes  of the duration 2.5 years.

Industrial Design Centre, IIT, Mumbai offers Master of Design and Bachelor of Design degree programs in Industrial Design, Visual Communication, Animation, Interaction Design and Mobility & Vehicle Design, as well as a Ph.D program in Design.

Footwear Development and Design Institute under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, has emerged as one of India’s leading centers for Fashion Design and Technology.

It offers following courses across various centres: Bachelor’s degree courses of 4 years in Fashion Design, Bachelor’s degree course of 4 years in Footwear Design, 3 years BBA course in Retail and Fashion Merchandise ans MBA Course in Retail and Fashion Merchandise.

Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology has been set up by the Government of Punjab . It offers courses in fashion design and knitwear design and technology among others at Mohali, Ludhiana and Jalandhar centres.

For more and updated information you may visit official websites of the above mentioned organisations.

(Pic Courtesy: Anjalee Arjun Kapoor Fashion Show)