Fashion and Clothing
The Fashion Industry has lately gained tremendous prominence in India and today ranks among the high growth sectors of the economy like Information Technology. Fashion and Clothing is one broad cluster, encompassing a range of career options such as those in the garment industry- fashion design, garment manufacture and merchandising as also cosmetics and beauty products and modeling. In this section we would be discussing only those options that are concerned with the designing manufacturing and merchandising of garments.

The prospects of the garment industry are extremely encouraging and it is among the fastest growing sectors of the economy with the annual turnover running into crores’. It provides attractive openings at various levels not only to professionals but also to the talented and the skilled. The industry operates in the domestic and export sectors and covers a range of work areas, from textiles, which form the bulk of India’s exports, to sarees and finished garments. Fashion merchandisers purchase materials required for production, price the finished garments and liaison between the production line and the marketing of the finished garments. The job involves an understanding of the market demand and coordination of the production process.

Educational Qualification:
Fashion Designing is basically a creative field and success in this field is dependent more on the inherent qualities of creativity than formal training. There are many who have made a success of this career without undergoing any formal training. The field of gem and Jewellery designing in particular is dominated by craftsmen to whom expertise have been handed over by their fathers and forefathers, rather than by those who have had a formal training.

However, training sometimes helps in bringing out the latent talent and sharpens the natural flair for designing. Though in areas like costume designing for theatre and films, training is essential since it may involve study and research in the period of the setting of the theatre/film. Moreover the area of merchandising requires specialized skills that can only be acquired by through professional training.

Training in various aspects of the fashion industry is imparted at institutions around the country. Eligibility for admission and coursework varies with the institution and area of specialization. Generally however, three-year diploma course in designing is offered to students after 10+2. Most fashion institutes also run courses in fashion merchandising. These courses open to graduates.

The quality of training imparted varies from institute to institute. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) New Delhi and Sophia Polytechnic in Mumbai are considered among the best institutes imparting such training.