Choose a college that offers internships and exposure to develop your skills…

Deepika Govind– Fashion Designer

QUICK INTRO

Birthplace: Andhra Pradesh.

Education: Frank Anthony Public School, Bangalore; Fashion Degree-NIFT.

Profession: Fashion Designer.

 

Deepika Govind, while preparing for the Indian Administrative Services Examination, was drawn to fashion design and began her journey by studying design at NIFT. Today, Dipika is a renowned designer in India, having even founded her own band. Through her journey, Grihashobha offers some advice for students who want to pursue a career in fashion design:

How to choose your specialization in fashion design?

You can’t decide in advance what you’re best at. You have to focus on general design first, and then, over the next three to four years, you’ll discover your best specialization. Whether it’s women’s apparel, men’s, or bridal, very few students are creating individual designs or brands beyond their specialization. Today, many students are joining clothing brands after completing the program, where you have to work according to the level of the brand and their set standards. Therefore, there’s no scope for creating something unique.

What are some things about the fashion world that are not taught in a college program?

I visit many design schools to judge students’ portfolios. I find that they don’t provide proper textile knowledge, which is unfair. Today, many designers and students lack textile knowledge. They know very few fabrics. Creating something with a particular fabric in a project and describing it isn’t enough. Secondly, colleges don’t provide students with exposure, leaving them unaware of what’s happening in the industry. Therefore, colleges should connect with designer hubs to organize events, expert classes, guest speakers, and training programs. They should also organize industry visits in collaboration with brands and designers so that students can gain exposure to the industry, its work, and its work culture. This way, students’ skills and their art are upgraded. In today’s times, especially in our industry, it’s crucial to keep up with the times. Furthermore, company recruitment is also low, making it crucial for students to gain prior industry exposure.

Is it beneficial for the college to be near major fashion hubs like Mumbai and Delhi?

Having a college near a major fashion hub does make a difference, like a college in Mumbai will find it easier to see and understand changing fashion trends, whereas Bengaluru has many big brands, so students here get the opportunity to learn and connect with brands, which is not available to colleges located in remote locations or away from the fashion industry.

Why is it important to do an internship or learn from a designer before starting your own design?

Many design schools don’t offer internships, which isn’t good for any student. So, if there is an internship, take it else look for another one.

If not, then first learn to work with a designer. This will help you understand how design launches, networks, and sourcing work, and how a brand is created and maintained. This will give you a wealth of knowledge and preparation to launch your own brand, and you can also learn and correct mistakes from your early career, which can further enhance your own work.

What other skills should students work on along with their designing?

A good designer must have presentation skills, make a presentation that matches the type of design, for example, a very jazzy presentation does not look good with a simple design.

Second, never compromise on quality. Garments should be as beautiful as they are comfortable and beautiful to wear. Therefore, pay close attention to the fabric, stitching, and finishing.

Third, learn and change with time. Fashion is a medium to reflect the current social, economic and psychological situation, that is, it shows what is happening in the society, like asymmetrical neck design which reflects a rebellious thinking that why the neck should be straight. Oversized shows that I do not care about body fit clothes, I like to be relaxed. So a designer should create his designs keeping in mind the social situation, a great example here is Coco Chanel, who gained fame after the World War.

At that time, women wore elaborate ballroom gowns and heavy skirts, which required a lot of fabric. But after the war, all of this became expensive. Coco, seeing the need of the time, designed dresses for women using less fabric. She made dresses that were easy and comfortable with less fabric and also brought artificial jewellery into trend because not every woman could afford real jewellery.

Coco, with her rebellious approach, took a creative approach, considering the social, economic, and psychological conditions. And look how she’s created one of the world’s biggest brands today. Therefore, it’s crucial for students who aspire to be designers to understand the current situation in their society and create designs.

What will be the scope in the fashion industry in the future?

Today, in the fashion industry, along with designing, there is a lot of scope in textile, apparel manufacturing, design production, retail, branding etc.

There’s a lot of scope in the Indian market today. You can do a lot with our country’s clothing, textiles, and crafts, like vintage silk. I remember working for a silk mill a long time ago. At that time, the mill was in poor condition, and the workers were unemployed. The mill was about to close. As a designer, I decided to try something new and designed silk saris with pure gold, which people loved. Today, that mill is doing very well. Their gold saris are in great demand.

Similarly, students should also create designs with fabric. There’s a lot of scope in textiles, along with design. Natural fabrics are in high demand today, as are new-age fabrics, such as Tencel, which makes fabric from natural wood pulp. I also make fabrics that aren’t available to others in the market. This way, we maintain both design and quality.

CAREER TIPS

  • Choose a design school that offers internships.
  • Fashion trends keep changing from time to time, hence it is very important to keep yourself updated.
  • If you want to understand launching, networking, sourcing then it is important to work with a designer.

 

– Rajni Prasad