Apparel Design career : Paths, Opportunities & Earnings

Making a career in this field of Apparel Design can be considered to be one of the best career decisions that the students can make in their life. Candidates get an opportunity to showcase their artistic skills and talent and create various designer clothes from scratch, thereby gaining relevant skills, experience and knowledge required to bag a high paying job in this field of apparel Design.

The Industry of Fashion has been witnessing immense growth over the years as this field offers the candidates a chance to express their emotions and creativity through designing versatile clothes from start to end. This eventually helps them get an exposure to this dynamic field of new innovations and rise in their careers. Aspiring candidates can study Apparel Design courses at various levels such as UG, PG, Diploma, Phd and Certification.

Some of the widely opted job profiles by the candidates who graduate in this course include fashion designer, accessories designer, stylist, trend forecaster, fashion coordinator, merchandiser etc. Top Recruiters in this field include Zara, H & M, Park Avenue, Levis, Louis Phillipe, Allen Solly etc. Average salary of an Apparel Designer in India is estimated to be around INR 5-6 LPA.

Interested Candidates may continue reading further to know more about career scope in Apparel Design.

Apparel Design Career Scope: Quick Facts

• The revenue of the global market is predicted to reach around 2.04 trillion USD till 2029, with an increase of 0.3 trillion in every year starting from 2024.
• United States has been on the top of the list for highest revenue in the market of Apparel Design with a value of 351.35 Billion USD, followed by China (313.82 Billion USD) and Australia (21.17 Billion USD)
• In 2022, Europe was the leading exporter and importer for the apparel market, with an import value of 215 Billion USD.
• According to a survey conducted in 2024 by the fashion experts, there was an enquiry on whether this industry of fashion and apparel would grow any further in the future or not. Majority of the votes came out to be on the positive side.
• The average inventory value of the apparel companies from 2015 to 2018 was 19.1 percent. This figure has continued to grow over the years.

Why Choose Apparel Design?

There are numerous advantages of pursuing a career in Apparel Design, and students who have pursued this course surely haven’t regretted their decision. Here are a few reasons why to pursue a career in Apparel Design:

• High Demand: The number of skilled professionals in the market is comparatively less as per the requirement, and this opens up various opportunities for the students having the desired skill set to make a career in this field.
• Lucrative Salaries: The possibilities of making a high income in this field of apparel design are endless, which opens a gateway for the aspiring candidates to use their talent and experience for a good future.
• Freedom of Creativity: Students are given an opportunity to express their emotions and creativity by designing unique products which create a high brand value of these products in the market.
• Industry: This field of Apparel Design has been rapidly growing over the past few years and will continue to grow in the upcoming future.
• Course Levels: Apparel Design course is available in various forms like UG, PG, Diploma, PhD and Certificate which provides flexibility to the candidates for pursuing this course as per their interests and requirement.

Top Career Profiles in Apparel Design

With the rise of the fashion industry and technology over the past decade, various job opportunities have emerged which allow candidates to complete this course and opt for the desired job roles as per their comfort and interests. Here are a few of the job profiles that majority candidates who graduate this course aim for:

Job Profile	Description	Average Salary
Fashion Designer	Involved in designing and maintaining the clothing line of an apparel brand. They create, illustrate designs and patterns, estimate the cost of manufacturing and maintain their associated brands' clothing lines.	INR 4.4 LPA
Trends Forecasters	The fashion industry is ever-changing. Every day a new trend is set. Therefore, as fashion forecasters, they are required to research and analyze the worldwide fashion industry. The fashion forecasters work with fashion designers to identify and create apparel designs that will set the trends in the market.	INR 2.8 LPA
Apparel Quality Controllers	The quality controllers are involved in setting standards for the fabric to differentiate original and quality products from faux material.	INR 2.8 LPA
Stylist	Responsible for the styling of the clothes and the designs in such a way that it best suits the requirement and desire of the customer.	INR 4.4 LPA
Merchandise Specialists	Merchandises are the best ways to develop a brand value and create an image in the minds of the public. Hence, these are the specialists who handle the production of merchandise and help in selling them to their target audiences.	INR 3.1 LPA

Note: The above salary has been sourced from ambitionbox

Emerging Trends in Apparel Design

Let’s have a look at some of the widely emerging trends in the sector of fashion and apparel designing:

Customization: Lately the fashion companies have started to offer their customers an option to personalize their apparel as per their desire and comfort which is considered to be one of the smartest moves in the fashion industry over the past few years.

Merchandise: With the rise in social media and influencers, merchandise has become a prominent method of creating a brand value and developing that personal connection with your audience to help increase your market value.

AR/VR: Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality have helped in digitalization of the industry as they allow customers to try the clothes in online mode which help them get a rough idea of how the clothes would suit them. This helps to choose the desired clothing without having to physically try out all the apparels.

Sustainable Fashion: Using materials which are environment friendly can help prevent any harm or damage to the environment and create apparels which can be reused and recycled.

Seasonal Trends: Different apparels are created and worn at different times of the year depending on the current season. For eg: hoodies are trending among the youth during winters

Fast vs Slow fashion: Slow fashion is referred to as the apparel which is carefully designed to provide durability and is long lasting, while fast fashion is more focused on the trends and customer demands which fade quickly.

Apparel Design Scope in India: Jobs, Salary and Further Education

Aspiring Candidates who wish to pursue apparel designing courses will experience a wide range of benefits as this industry offers lucrative salaries and incentives. This sector is rapidly evolving over time and will heavily contribute in the future world of urbanization. From a Fresher graduate to an experienced individual, everyone is given an opportunity to learn and explore the diversity of this field which eventually helps them land a good placement opportunity and make a career in the fashion industry. This allows them to understand their goals and interests, make plans and achieve them to boost their careers.

Courses in Apparel Design

Given below are the various types of Apparel Design courses available in India which the aspiring candidates can consider to pursue i order to make a career in the field of apparel design:

Types of Apparel Design Courses
Diploma in Apparel Design	BSc Apparel Design
UG Diploma in Apparel Design	MDes in Apparel Design
B.Voc in Apparel Design	M.Voc in Apparel Design
BDes in Apparel Design	MA in Apparel Design
BA in Apparel Design	MSc Apparel Design

Note: This information is sourced from external sites and may vary.

Links useful for Fashion and Apparel Design course:

Fashion Design Course After 10th - Admission Process, Where to Study, Job Prospect

Top Recruiters for Apparel Design Sector in India

Given below are some of the top Indian and International recruiters for the Apparel Design aspirants. 

Top Recruiters for Apparel Design
Allen Solly	Van Heusen	Levis
Park Avenue	H & M	Uniqlo
Marks and Spencer	Zara	Louis Phillipe
Balenciaga	Louis Vuitton	Dolce Gabbana

Note: This information is sourced from multiple sources on the web and hence, is subject to vary. 

Links useful for Apparel Design courses:

Choosing Design as a career

Best Apparel Design Colleges for Placements In India

There are both Government and Private colleges in India that offer this course with top class faculty, campus life and placements. Students considering to pursue this course and make a career in this field can select from a wide range of universities.

Given below are some of the top universities and their average packages (in INR) which the aspiring candidates can refer to:

Top Colleges	Average Salary Offered
Delhi University	INR 8.63 LPA
National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi	INR 7 LPA
IGNOU - Indira Gandhi National Open University	INR 3-4 LPA
Tamil Nadu Open University	INR 2.5-3.5 LPA
Netaji Subhas Open University	INR 4 LPA
Asian Academy of Film and Television, Noida	INR 3.5 LPA
Army Institute of Fashion and Design	INR 2.8 LPA
Vogue Institute of Art and Design	INR 4.2 LPA
JD Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore	INR 3.6 LPA
GLS University, Ahmedabad	INR 4 LPA

Following are the top exams for Apparel Design. Students interested in pursuing a career on Apparel Design, generally take these important exams.You can also download the exam guide to get more insights.

Following are the most popular Apparel Design courses, based on alumni reviews. Explore these reviews to choose the best course in Apparel Design.

Following are the most popular Apparel Design Colleges in India. Learn more about these Apparel Design colleges (Courses, Reviews, Answers & more) by downloading the Brochure.

Following are the most popular Apparel Design UG Courses . You can explore the top Colleges offering these UG Courses by clicking the links below.

Following are the most popular Apparel Design PG Courses . You can explore the top Colleges offering these PG Courses by clicking the links below.