Unveiling the Realm of Fashion Designing: A Pathway to Creative Excellence

Dubai: In a world where self-expression is celebrated, and individuality takes center stage, the realm of fashion designing emerges as a captivating and dynamic career option. Fashion design goes beyond the confines of mere clothing creation; it is an art form that bridges innovation, culture, and personal style. The Team Brew talked with Dwijendra Kumar about the exciting journey of a career in fashion designing, exploring its multifaceted nature, the skills it demands, the avenues it opens, and the profound impact it can have on the ever-evolving global fashion landscape. Designing Dwijendra Kumar has been writing on careers in the field of garment, textile, and fashion for over 2 decades. Recently he has authored a book A Career Guide to Fashion Designing. According to him, India’s constant supply of quality products and reasonable prices has made it a popular and reputable destination for global sourcing. Excerpts from an interview:

Q: How is a fashion designer different from a garment stitching shop?

DK: Tailors work on the advice of their customers. However, fashion designers invent their own conceived designs and styles and instruct tailors to cut clothes and stitch them accordingly. While tailors are heavily dependent on the inputs from customers, fashion designers guide customers about trending designs. They also start working on garments ahead of popular seasons such as spring, summer, fall, and winter. They offer a variety of stitched garments for the customers to pick from.

Q: What about the prospects of those aspiring to join the fashion arena as fashion designers?

DK: The Indian textile and garment market is currently estimated to be worth around 150 billion US dollars. It has exported textile products including garments worth approx 44 billion US dollars during financial year 2022. Textiles and Garments account for around 14 percent of industrial output. Union Textile Ministry has set a target of 100 billion dollars worth of exports taking the total market size to 250 billion dollars. All these require and will require trained manpower including fashion designers to fill the gap between demand and supply.

Q: What are the roles and responsibilities of a fashion designer?

DK: The basic responsibility of a Fashion designer is to develop original designs using their skills in styling the garments. However, when working with export houses, they work on designs provided by the buying or importing agencies. Sometimes they create garment samples for the buyers and importers and based on their inputs, they go ahead with production in specified quantity. Fashion Designers also work as merchandisers wherein they scout for suitable clients and fix business deals with them. They can also work as Production Coordinators, Sample Coordinators, Pattern Masters, Jewellery Designers, Accessory Designers, Retail Managers, Buying Agent, Fashion Communicator etc.

Q: How a fashion designer working independently can establish his/her brand?
DK: Branding is a tedious and time-consuming process. They need to keep on innovating designs and styles and get in touch with buying houses, garment manufacturers, and exporters for bulk orders. They should also be active on digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube to market their brand image and create a name for their brands. The content must appear alluring to viewers. Digital media offers infinite space to users; newcomers and independent players should utilize it properly.

Q: How did someone like you coming from a Journalism background choose to write on a topic fit for fashion designers?
DK: I have been writing on garments, textiles, and fashion for over 25 years. Have also worked with trade magazines in the field. Witnessed the growth of this industry closely and related government policies. I have not written this book for fashion designers but for those who are in fact pursuing studies in schools and colleges and are looking for information on careers in fashion.