10 Careers in the Fashion Industry in India
Are you someone who loves to stay updated with the latest fashion trends? Do you think you have an eye for style and making yourself/others look good? Do you have a flair for creativity and innovation?
If the answer to the above questions is a big “YES!”, then a career in Fashion might be the right path for you to explore.
A blend of creativity, style, originality and aesthetic sensibilities is what a career in Fashion demands, and if you possess just the right mix, this highly glamorous industry awaits. Not only that, a passion for following fashion trends and being updated with the latest in clothing, accessories and brands is also important to make it big.
So If you are a young fashion enthusiast looking for career options in the fashion industry, here is a spectacular list of fashion and style related careers that are surely going to make you go WOW! Let’s explore them one by one:
1. Fashion Design
From legendary pioneers like Ritu Kumar, Manish Malhotra and Sabyasachi to emerging talents like Kanika Goyal and Priyanka Ella Lorena Lama, there are extremely talented fashion designers out there. Many girls have melted their hearts with the clothes they designed. What if you could be one too?
Fashion designers understand the needs of their clients and create attractive garments, apparel and accessories according to the current fashion trends and market conditions. To be a successful designer, you must possess exceptional creative talent, artistic skills and a flair for designing.
Some Top Institutes for Fashion Design: National Institute of Fashion Technology, Multiple Locations; Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bengaluru; Symbiosis Institute of Design, Pune; Indian School of Design and Innovation, Mumbai; MAEER’s MIT Institute of Design, Pune, etc.
Career Opportunities in Fashion Design: Some designers work with or under popular fashion designers while others manage their own fashion labels. You can also work in export houses, manufacturing units, branded fashion showrooms, boutiques, and studios.
Do you want to get an overview of a career in the fashion industry? Try out the Virtual Internship Program at Mindler.
Read More: Fashion Design as a Career in India
2. Textile & Apparel Design
Textiles are different types of cloth or woven fabrics used to make clothes, including materials like tie-and-dye fabrics, wool, phulkari, khadi, etc. Textile and Apparel designers create patterns and designs for knit, woven and printed fabrics. Along with this, they are also involved in other processes like yarn making, weaving, knitting, dyeing, finishing processes, etc.
There is a fine difference between Fashion and Textile Designers. Textile Designers develop fabrics whereas Fashion Designers use these fabrics to create new designs for clothes. Successful textile designers have a creative vision of what a finished textile will look like and know the technical aspects of production and properties of fibre, yarn and dyes.
Some Top Institutes for Textile & Apparel Design: National Institute of Design, Multiple Locations; National Institute of Fashion Technology, Multiple Locations; Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore
Career Opportunities in Textile & Apparel Design: As a part of your work, you can be employed in textile companies, textile mills, boutiques, garment manufacturing companies, fashion houses and textile studios. After a degree in this field, you can also work in the industry as a colour specialist, and pay attention to the differentiation of colours and dyes used in designing.
Read More: Textile Design as a Career in India
3. Accessory Design
Whether you’re matching a pair of shoes with your outfit or putting together a whole new look for a party, accessories can make you look glamorous. Accessories include footwear, scarves, handbags, belts, hats, sunglasses, neckpieces, etc. As an accessory designer, you get to design these using your creativity and keeping in mind the current trends. These designs are created either by sketching or by using design software such as CAD.
Some Top Institutes for Accessory Design: National Institute of Fashion Technology, Multiple Locations; National Institute of Design (Multiple Locations)
Career Opportunities in Accessory Design: You can work in the apparel manufacturing industry or create your own brand of accessories. You can even work in the film and television industry to design costumes, apparel and accessories for movies and TV shows.
Read More: Accessory Design as a Career in India
4. Jewellery Design
All the top-notch jewellery brands like Tanishq, Kalyan Jewellers, Malabar Gold and Diamonds, etc. have breathtaking jewellery pieces and diamonds in their showrooms. Whatever be the occasion, jewellery reflects a sense of opulent beauty that is unmatched and timeless. Jewellery Designers are the ones behind such exquisite designs. They design different jewellery pieces like necklace sets, chokers, rings, bangles, maang tikkas, etc. by understanding the current trends and working according to customers’ tastes.
Some Top institutes for Jewellery Design: ARCH College of Design and Business, Jaipur, Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore; National Institute of Jewellery, Ahmedabad; Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery, New Delhi
Career Opportunities in Jewellery Design: You can work with jewellery manufacturers and jewellery showrooms to put your expertise into practice and create new and unique designs.
Read More: Jewellery Design as a Career in India
Recommended Read: Sky Is The Limit: 11 Careers For The Love Of Design
5. Fashion Technology
This field requires you put together your technological skills with your creative bent of mind. This is an especially suitable field for students from a science background. Fashion Technologists work on the development of garments, their production, and quality management. While fashion designers deal in the creation of new clothes from available fabrics, Fashion Technologists deal with the production process behind the creation of the fabrics and cloths. They ensure that the clothing is made using the most cost-effective and efficient methods while maintaining quality standards.
Some Top Institutes for Fashion Technology: National Institute of Fashion Technology, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai, Amity School Of Fashion Technology .
Career Opportunities in Fashion Technology: Fashion technologists work with garment manufacturing units, fashion houses and film and TV production units. They give their consultation to brands and fashion designers. Experienced fashion technologists can join fashion institutes as faculty members.
Read More: Fashion Technology as a Career in India
6. Luxury Brand Management
Luxury Brand Managers use their marketing and business skills to manage top-of-the-line luxurious brands such as Chanel, Michael Kors, Dior, etc. As a manager of a luxury brand, you can be involved in various areas associated with the management of a brand, including conducting market research for products, supervising marketing campaigns and branding, organizing multimedia advertising campaigns, working with brand ambassadors, etc. Developing strong networks with people and travelling around the world is a huge part of Luxury Brand Management.
Some Top Institutes for Luxury Brand Management: Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad; SP Jain School of Global Management, Mumbai; Mudra Institute of Communication and Advertising (MICA), Ahmedabad etc.
Note – A luxury brand management course can be pursued at the Post-Graduate level.
Career Opportunities in Luxury Brand Management: You can work in profiles such as Brand Manager, Fashion Goods Product Manager, Fashion Retail Manager, Fashion Public Relations Specialist, Marketing and Visual Merchandising Manager for luxury brands.
7. Fashion Business Management
This is the perfect field for those with a love for fashion and a flair for business and marketing. Managers for fashion businesses and brands conduct in-depth research and analysis of the latest fashion and market trends to predict the success of products among consumers.
As a Fashion Business Manager, you have to maintain the brand value of the product through media and advertisements, develop innovative marketing strategies, promote products through visual marketing campaigns, manage the placement of products and merchandise in stores to market products, etc. With the boom of social media’s use in business, you can also work to market fashion products globally using social media platforms.
Some Top Institutes in Fashion Business Management: Indian School of Design and Innovation (ISDI), Mumbai; MIT Institute of Design, Pune, Pearl Academy ; Indian Institute of Art and Design (IIAD), Delhi. Pune, etc.
Note – A Fashion Business Management course can be pursued at the Post-Graduate level.
Career Opportunities in Fashion Business Management: You can work with apparel/fashion brands, designer boutiques and retail chain outlets. Some of the leading work profiles are Fashion Product Manager, Fashion Brand Manager, Fashion Marketing Manager, Public Relations Manager, Visual Merchandiser, Fashion Advertising Agent, Fashion Promotion Specialist, etc.
Read More: Fashion Business Management as a Career in India
8. Image Consulting/Personal Styling
Image consultants are stylists who work with individuals to advise on their personal style and clothing. As an image consultant, you work on your client’s entire “image” to create an attractive look. This goes much beyond clothes and accessories, and you’ll work on their body language, posture, etiquette and make suggestions according to their lifestyle, body shape, skin complexion, and so on. If you are a die-hard fashionista and have excellent communication skills, then you can do wonders in this job.
Some Top Institutes for Image Consulting: Image Consulting Business Institute, Multiple Locations, Sterling Style Academy, Mumbai; First Impression, Multiple Locations, etc.
Career Opportunities in Image Consulting: Image consultants work for public companies, private companies and corporations for the enhancement of employees’ corporate image, professional etiquette and protocol. You can also work with image consulting firms or independently to provide online/offline services to private clients.
9. Fashion Blogging
We have all heard of different fashion bloggers and influencers such as Kritika Khurana, Anmol Bhatia, Aashna Shroff, Ankita Rana Gill, etc. Fashion bloggers showcase their outfits, accessories, and style through their blogs, Vlogs, Instagram posts, YouTube videos, and so on. They also share their knowledge of fashion and advise their viewers on how to look good and style their clothes better.
If you are a fashion enthusiast and love to share your views with the world, fashion blogging is a great platform. You can write about the latest fashion trends, endorse new products, and review them. You can also work with fashion labels and retailers to build a strong brand profile and assist with media coverage of new product launches.
Some Top Institutes for Fashion Blogging: You don’t require any formal education or degree for fashion blogging, although a background in fashion can be beneficial. Additionally, you can take up short-term courses and certifications in Blogging, Fashion Communication and blogging essentials like WordPress, SEO, etc. from platforms like Coursera, Udemy, etc. can be helpful.
Career Opportunities in Fashion Blogging: As a fashion blogger, you can begin writing and express your views on fashion through blogs by setting up your own blog, or becoming an influencer on social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, etc. Along with that, you can also collaborate with top brands as a paid partner or work on the promotion of specific products or projects.
10. Fashion Photography
If you have a passion for photography, you can blend it with your interest towards fashion and work as a Fashion Photographer. Fashion Photographers showcase clothing, accessories, jewellery, and other fashion items in an appealing manner through photographs. Their role is to capture the essence of the clothing and so that people get attracted into trying/buying them.
Some Top Institutes of Fashion Photography: National Institute of Photography, Mumbai; Symbiosis School of Photography, Pune; Delhi College of Photography, Delhi.
Career Opportunities in Fashion Photography: Fashion photographers are often employed by fashion magazines (like Vogue India, Femina, etc.), fashion houses (like Manish Malhotra, Ritu Kumar, etc.), catalogs, and advertising agencies. All major brands require fashion photographers to make portfolios of their product lines and display them in an appealing manner. Fashion designers also hire fashion photographers to capture models on the runway wearing their latest collection. As a fashion photographer, you can also get a chance to work with many Bollywood and Hollywood celebrities.
The Fashion Industry is highly lucrative because people today are conscious of their looks and are ready to spend money to look good. If you are leaning towards turning your love for passion into your profession, then any of the careers mentioned above can give you exactly what you need!
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