The fashion industry is basically meant for those who want to be associated with creativity and new trends in life. It satisfies creative fancies, satiates materialistic needs and attaches glamour quotient to the arty people along with heavy salaries. 


But acquiring just fashion designing skills are not enough to make a mark in this field, the designers must juxtapose their creative competence with managerial skills. The managerial skills talk about marketing, merchandising, manufacturing and management of the final product.

Training and Education

It is important for people who want to be part of the fashion world to have formal training. Most courses of fashion designing and management, train students in all the aspects of the field so that they can pick an area they have an aptitude in. Besides, interpersonal and networking skills are crucial to creating positive relationships with people already working in the field.


Technical skills are also essential, whether the job involves spreadsheet work in MS Excel or creative editing using software programmes such as Coral Draw, Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. Specialised technical skills in painting, drawing, or photography will always prove handy to hold the roots of this industry. Knowledge of computer-aided design (CAD) is indispensable in this field. Though most designers love to sketch designs by hand, yet CAD holds a lot of importance, for it facilitates designers to view designs of clothing on virtual models and in different colours, patterns and shapes.

Fashion Design

Training in fashion satisfies individual tastes of individual aspirants, for some find interest in designing attires, fashion buying, garment retailing, merchandising and some in areas like footwear designing, fashion photography, make-up for film, and the like. Coursework in human anatomy, mathematics and psychology is useful in this industry.


Courses in fashion design are available in areas such as accessory and jewellery designing, modelling, garment designing, leather designing, interior designing, textile technology, textile design, footwear designing and technology. The hands-on components of the different disciplines allow students to integrate the various courses into a complete experience, from conceiving design concept to consumer purchase.


The duration of a course in fashion design will depend upon the level, which could be certificate (6months-1yr), diploma (1yr-2yrs) or degree programme (3yrs-5yrs).

Fashion Management

A good programme in fashion design and management ensures that students are kept aware of changing demands and opportunities within the fashion industry about latest technologies, techniques and trends. The idea is to develop strategic and innovative approaches to marketing and management in order to translate socio-economical and demographic trends into likely customer needs.


Talking specifically about fashion management, a programme in the subject equips you to market art and creativity in export markets as well as the domestic markets. The programme basically has its focus on fashion merchandising and management, visual presentation, store management, and marketing strategies. Students study modules like - consumer behaviour, trend analysis, fashion forecasting, market research methodologies, fashion promotion or PR, branding and brand management, creative presentation programmes, fashion psychographics and visual merchandising techniques. The programme in fashion management offers you specialisations in areas like retailing, merchandising, fashion buying, marketing, branding and trend forecasting.


Fashion management programme are usually offered at the undergraduate degree and post graduate degree levels. The courses are of duration 3 yrs to 5 yrs.

Career Prospects

Graduates in fashion design and management can work with apparel manufacturers, designers, haute couture, wholesalers, leather companies, boutiques, jewellery houses, importers and many of the major and independent retailers. People who love to be associated with glamour can get into fashion show related careers, like fashion photography, costume designers etc. Placement may be in fashion manufacturing, distribution, retailing or any related marketing area.

Graduates are employed in positions leading to careers as costume designer, fashion buyers, fashion consultant, personal stylist, production managers, product developers, quality control managers, designer, graphic designer, production pattern maker, fashion coordinator, visual merchandisers, store managers and transportation/distribution managers, purchasing agents, show room sales representative. After gaining experience some people successfully open and run their own ventures.

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