Fashion out a career

By Taru Bahl
IF there is a career that has seen hype in recent years, it is the twin industry of fashion/design and modelling. It appears to be a high-visibility, high-income vocation. With homespun darzis having long given way to the jetsetting tribe of designers and costume stylists, you find aspiring professionals thronging the numerous academies that have sprung up all over the country.
So much so that engineers and chartered accountants are lamenting their fate. After spending a gruelling — six to seven years studying, their entry level jobs offer not more than a Rs 10,000 to 12,000 of basic salary whereas designers after a single short course of — one to three years are easily earning double or triple that amount.
But, does every student with that wee bit of talent and a degree/diploma under his belt make it that big ? Is it really a cake-walk? Can most of us repeat the success stories of Ritu Kumar, Ashish Soni, Kavita Bhartiya and Tarun Tahiliani? Are not most of us ill-informed and ill-equipped to take on the big and fast changing world of fashion? If embarking on this sphere of professional activity do a thorough home-work.
In one of Outlook's recent issues there was a rip off on India's fashion industry and on all the labels which have become household names courtesy the media or by aping international clothiers. The incisive feature may have sent the fashion community into a state of numb shock but it did speak a lot for the unprofessionalism which still marks India's fashion industry.
Just because Jemima and the late Diana visited Ritu's London boutique and our beauty queens sashayed down international beauty pageants winning accolades for their costumes, doesn't make us one of the best in world. So if you are keen on making fashion your future, set your short, medium and long-term goals.
Get first hand information from someone who has made it big. Be realistic and aim for the premier institutes of the country. Stay away from fly-by-night operators and 'shady' set-ups which promise the moon in their jazzy brochures but once they pocket the hefty quarterly or half-yearly fees, offer not even a decent faculty, leave alone technologically updated studios and placements.
There are three openings in the field of fashion — designing, merchandising and associated functions. Apparel design is the most popular. You can target the domestic or the overseas market. You could specialise in designing linen, towels, sarees, textiles, ready-to-wear garments, beach wear, night wear, children's clothes, lingerie, accessories such as hats, shoes, jewellery, belts, ties and scarves. Fashion designing is today a specialised course which relies on you sketching skills, computer knowledge, awareness of market trends, understanding of the end consumer and a blend of practicality and creativity.
The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in New Delhi was set up as autonomous body under the Ministry of Textiles. Admission is strictly on merit. Their test and selection procedure is comprehensive and designed to assess the applicant's aptitude, ability, motivation, skill and maturity. They have a general aptitude test which is common for all their courses.
Here, you are tested for quantitative aptitude, communication skills, English comprehension and analytical ability. This is followed by a creativity and drawing test. You may be asked to visualise a concept, for say a department store window during Diwali and to draw the same.
Once you qualify the written test, you would be called for an interview and group discussion. More than precision with lines and figures you must have visual imagery which can translate into viable ideas and concepts.
Two courses which attract maximum applicants at NIFT are the one on garment manufacturing technology and apparel merchandising and marketing. Both are two-year diplomas. The former gives you insights into production values and the latter gives you the wherewithal of running factories and enterprises. Eligibility for both is graduation in any discipline with a minimum 50 per cent aggregate. Competition is stiff. Export houses also sponsor key designers (with two years of work experience) for short-term courses on specialised subjects like women's wear, men's shirts etc. National Institute of Design at Ahmedabad offers a diploma course in apparel.
Once you have acquired a professional degree and have backed it with relevant experience you can opt for fashion reporting/critiques, illustrations and photography. You can also work with modelling agencies, television channels, entertainment and software companies and produce your own fashion shows and films.
Not everyone becomes a designer from day one. Unless you have the money, wherewithal and guts to launch yourself independently, you will have to work as an apprentice under an established designer or work for a store or export house. Even if you creations sell, you may still remain anonymous. You could start out as an assistant designer and execute a designer concepts.
A cutting assistant cuts samples, makes alterations and gets work done from the master cutters. Then there are sketching assistants, stylists and junior designers. Job titles and designations matter precious little. If you have the flair and if your product is correctly priced, it will sell. You may even get noticed.
A merchandiser as the name suggests is not a designer. He secures orders and executes them. For this he has to be well-versed with the trade and have that gut feeling which guides him on what will sell in a volatile market. He is resourceful and knows how to get the maximum by spending the minimum. His initial samples determine the bulk of his orders. Once an order is secured, he cannot go back to the buyer and tell him that he can't find the same fabric or embroidery motif for a 10,000 piece order and could it please be substituted with something else?
Where foreign consignments are concerned time schedules assume a life and death situation. Haven't we seen export surplus shops selling rejects at throwaway prices? They are usually rejected because of minor flaws — things which you and me may not even notice, like the spacing of button holes. The irregular running of inner seams or because of not being able to stick to time schedules. Reputed foreign buyers are wary of Indian garments mainly because of their unreliability. Imagine, as a merchandiser, being saddled with 25,000 pieces of identical sleeveless knotted lace blouses? They woldn't even sell at one-third of their price in India!
Merchandisers have to organise buyer-seller meets, fashion shows and intimate screenings where they can display wares to buyers. You may have to print catalogues and make foreign trips.
The Pearl Academy of Fashion runs an 18-month course in apparel merchandising and production management for a whopping Rs 80,000 plus fee, but this is followed by a three-month internship within the industry which often leads to suitable placement. Polytechnics across the country offer one to two year duration courses after class XII in fashion and dress designing, fashion coordination and clothing management. There are correspondence courses too.
With a heightened fashion consciousness existing not just amongst the urban elite but also the middle and lower end of the market, the fashion community has to pull up its socks. It has to combine quality, novelty and affordability. Reaching out to different segments makes good business sense too. When a Mumbai based company launched its designer-wear for over weight women and expectant mothers it met with a fantastic response. A designer can float on cloud nine, creating the most outlandish patterns for the ramp but when he designs for the market he has to have his feet firmly planted on the ground. No amount of media hype can make up for mediocrity.
So if you think you have the aptitude hop onto the fashion bandwagon and be prepared to slog it out.