Design a Career in Women’s Wear Fashion

Jaspal Kalra, Assistant professor, Dept.of Fashion Design,Pearl Academy

Jaspal Kalra, assistant professor, Dept. of Fashion Design, Pearl Academy, New Delhi throws light on developing traditional creative skills through courses in Women’s Wear design.

In the past few years, rapid urbanisation, higher disposable incomes and increasing fashion consciousness have transformed the women’s wear segment into a lucrative and highly evolving market in India. The mushrooming domestic fashion market has witnessed a change in occasional-wear dresses in terms of what people are buying and wearing.

The future prospects of a career in this sector are quite promising with evident growth in an array of fields such as domestic boutiques, retail of Indian-wear brands, export of craft-related products, online retail, exhibitions and ethical fashion.

Women’s Wear fashion woven with traditional concepts gives an opportunity to learn about techniques and quality, exploring hand crafted textiles; understanding of design concepts; costing; branding; customer understanding and range development.

Types of courses offered in Women’s wear fashion with traditional aesthetics:

There are institutes that offer all the courses including degree, diploma and short term certificates that encompass traditional skills in exploration of women’s wear. At Pearl Academy, as women’s wear is a part of Women’s wear design, it is dealt with great detail in its Diploma in Fashion Women’s Wear. The principal aims of these programmes are:

• Experience, explore, and strengthen individual creative skills by appreciating and developing cultural sensibilities and professional practices in Fashion
• Provide an opportunity to extend an existing craftsmanship and creative skill
• Create a body of work contextualised in cultural base and modern trends through appropriate personal and professional development. Move on to create business enterprises/ boutiques or gather an understanding of fashion to confirm one’s aspirations to pursue advanced studies.

Basic eligibility to pursue these courses:

Students from any discipline can apply for Pearl Academy's above mentioned course in Women’s Wear with cultural context and traditional crafts as a common thread across all modules. The basic selection criteria are mentioned below.

Eligibility: Candidates who have obtained qualification equivalent to 12 years of schooling, from any recognised School/Board in any discipline are eligible to apply for admission

Competitive Examination: All eligible candidates will be required to take an entrance level interview to give the course team the opportunity to make an initial evaluation of students’ strengths (to be developed) and weaknesses (to be addressed). A panel consisting of 2-3 senior faculty members will constitute the Interview Board. Candidates are marked on a "consensus" basis by members of the panel, based on a pre-determined selection-profile of qualities and skills that are necessary to successful functioning as a professional in the industry, such as ability to work in a team; commitment; honesty and sincerity; general awareness; leadership skills; et al.

Selection of candidates: Selection of students is strictly on merit of interview against set criteria. Carrying ones exemplar of works may support this assessment.

What is taught in these courses?

Course Curriculum – Diploma in Fashion Women’s Wear programme

The programme is offered in 3 terms of 13 weeks each covering inputs in the main areas of women’s wear range development and its realization for day wear and occasion wear, and their visual representation. It gives an understanding of fabric properties and their surface ornamentation using crafts and its sourcing. The business aspect would also be looked into by analysing needs and demands of Indian clients, small scale garment production and entrepreneurship.

During these three trimesters, the approach is to develop comprehensive understanding of fashion industry in India and globally in congruence with the listed aims of each module.

Key teaching & learning methodology:

Project work, learning through research, critiques also known as jury, presentations, workshops, talks, craft cluster visits, industry visits, museum visits, demonstrations, peer learning, independent study, self-evaluation, technical teaching and support.