Ms. Anubha Kakroo, Dean - Outreach and Corporate Relations, IIAD

Fashion Design has now become an established career option in India, thanks to the various NIFTs and other Institutes that offer this undergraduate degree. India is a growing economy with a young population and that means that the numbers of a fashion conscious consumer are only going to increase. This assures of certain growth of the industry as well. That said, be clear in how you look at Fashion. If you are looking at 'Fashion' as is commonly understood, you are looking at celebrity designers like Manish Malhotra etc. And at Haute Couture. However the profession is far more wider than that because. A vast majority of the people don't wear Couture. A better term to explore would be apparel, which is what regular people like you and me wear and that is a huge growth market. Employment cane be gained in companies like Madurai Garments, Future Group, ZARA, Biba etc. There is a lot of scope for a good and successful career in such companies. As you are in Class XII-th currently, you should prepare for the entrance exam of various Fashion Institutes and complete a Bachelor's programme at any of these institutes of choice. There are many Institutes offering courses in Fashion/Apparel design starting from NIFTs to various good private institutes like Pearl Academy and IIAD. For IIAD, please log on to https://www.iiad.edu.in and get in touch with any of our counsellors who will personally guide you to the best way to clear the IIAD Entrance Exam.
All the best.

Its never too late to make lateral shifts in your career. We are moving more and more towards an inter-disciplinary working environment and all sorts of qualifications have their place. There are a couple of ways in which you can tailor your career in the fashion industry post your finance degree. One, you can do a Master's programme in Fashion Management. With your background in Finance and your further training in the Fashion Sector, you will be well placed to take up exciting jobs in large conglomerates dealing in the Fashion Industry, be they apparel giants or export houses. However if you are interested in 'designing' you should opt for a Fashion Design degree right from scratch. Don't worry, your finance degree will also come in handy. As I said, we are moving rapidly away from a single discipline world to a multi disciplinary world. And if this is your passion, these four years will be well spent and worth your time.

An MBA after a Fashion Design degree can open up newer career avenues for you undoubtedly. It depends where you want your career to head. An MBA after a degree in Fashion Design and maybe a couple of years work experience can help you if you want to move towards the marketing side of fashion or into the fashion retails industry. Also, if you wish to take up a senior role in an organization like Levis, Adidas, Zara or even luxury brands like Prada etc. an MBA may offer you a multi-disciplinary and strategic edge, that will enhance your basic Fashion Design qualification. However, do choose your management institute, and the specialization there, carefully to maximize, it is in your career path.

Yes, it is. You could appear for UCEED exam that is the IIT entrance exam for B. Des courses for all the IITs that offer an undergraduate Design degree. To appear in UCEED, the eligibility is clearing class XII-th in any stream. Why I recommend the UCEED for you is, because as your interest is in Car Design, having a B. Des degree from a technology institute works better, as you get exposure to the engineering side of things as well. After your undergraduate degree you could take up a dedicated Master's degree specialization in Automobile or Transport Design. There are a few private colleges who offer this Master's programme in India besides the Master's programme at NID as well. Internationally too, there are many Institutes and Universities offering dedicated courses in car / automobile design, where the eligibility is not stream specific and anyone clearing Class XII-th can apply.

I think, you should start by honing your observational skills. Start looking around and noticing things in great detail, whether it is how things look, or how they function. Get into details of material, color, construction (or manufacture) of things around you. A lot of the questions in the NID entrance are nothing but a test of your aptitude to de-code and deconstruct the world around you. Also, because Design is a visual field, it is important to be able to present your thoughts, ideas, analysis in a visual form, so a good grip of being able to communicate through drawing (not necessarily 'sketching' ) is also a useful skill to have for the NID exam.

To become a Fashion Designer, it is important you choose a good course in Fashion Designing as your starting point. Many institutes in India offer Fashion Design programmes like NIFT, IIAD, Pearl Academy etc. Starting salaries can vary depending upon which industry sector you choose to work in. You could go into the corporate sector by joining industries like Madurai Garments (Aditya Birla Group), Levis, Zara etc. Or you could choose to work for a renowned Design Studio of any Designer like Tarun Tahiliani, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Ritu Kumar etc. The corporate sector starts with a better package but then the experienced gained by working under a known Designer is also a compensation that cannot be measured in terms of salary alone. You can talk to some fresh graduates to get a better picture. Eventually it depends on you as to what you make of your career. You could even be an entrepreneur and start your own venture, where the money is no consideration at all.

That is a very interesting query, because most people tend to concentrate on Fashion Design. What people forget that India has glorious tradition of a textiles which is far, far older than fashion. India has always been a world leader in textiles from almost the time of Harappan Civilisation. Even today, India is very well placed in export markets because of its textile manufacturing and design capacities. Government policies are also very conscious of the importance of Textiles to our exports, GDP as well livelihoods and we have a full-fledged Ministry of Textiles (Minister Smriti Irani) and a textile handicrafts commission as well. So, all this might have helped you understand the importance of textiles in the Indian scenario. If you pursue a course in textile design from a reputed institute (like NID), the career prospects are immense and very satisfying. You can work in the export sector (e. g : Shyam Ahuja, Arvind Mills etc. ). Or the handloom sector, of which India is a treasure trove (e. g Woman Weave Handloom, Maheshwar and Varanasi Silk Weaving Atelier, Varanasi etc.). Depending on your preferences. You can also choose to be a studio based Textile designer or artist if you are more interested in experimental work (e. g. : Ganga Maki Studio, Ashdeen Lilaowala, Nancy Parker, London etc.).

Yes, IIAD (Indian Institute of Art and Design) offers multiple scholarships to deserving students. These scholarships are primarily merit based and at the entry level (First Year) are offered to student's basis their class XII-th performance. That said, IIAD is one of the very few institutes which offers a continuing scholarship in the subsequent years as well, called the Sir Edward Newton Scholarships, to meritorious students basis their overall performance (academic and all round) in their preceding year of study. For more details and individual consoling and guidance please log on to https://www.iiad.edu.in and get in touch with our counsellors.

In India, with an increasingly young population who has a global exposure and aspirations, the demand for accessories is only going to increase. However, be aware that this is a highly specialized course which is very closely associated with the fashion industry. Internationally too, accessories will be always in demand, although their markets are very specialized with in depth courses for footwear and leather goods as separate programmes. Many institutes in India offer Accessory Design courses which also incorporate Lifestyle Accessories, but I personally feel that it is better to take a focused course if you are interested in accessory design specifically and not dilute it with doing interior products and lifestyle accessories. This might need some research and you will have to look at a course that takes care of this.