Path to become a Fashion Designer

One can become a Fashion Designer at an undergraduate level

Fashion Design Exams to prepare for & Universities to Target:

• NIFT (UG & PG): To get into 15 NIFT campuses across India under UG & PG level - NIFT offers B.Des., B.F.Tech. degrees for 4-year undergraduate and M.Des., M.F.Tech. and M.F.M degrees for 2 year Post Graduate Degree Programs. Download the NIFT 2018 Brochure for more information.
• Other Fashion Design Entrance Exams: There are other options for getting admission into new and established universities which offer their own B.Des & M.Des programs. These other colleges have their own entrance exams and admission procedure. Some of the design colleges are listed below:

All NIFT Design colleges have a 3 stage admission process - Design Aptitude Test (DAT), Studio Test & Interview with Portfolio review. So aspirants must have a significant approach to their preparation.

NIFT ENTRANCE EXAM

NIFT exam consist of two rounds.

1. Round 1: Written Test

• General Ability Test (GAT) – All applicants
• Creative Ability Test (CAT) – B.Des & M.Des applicants only

2. Round 2: Situation Test / Group Discussion / Interview

• Situation Test – B.Des Applicants only
• Group Discussion and Personal Interview – For M.Des, M.F.Tech, & M.F.M Applicants only

GENERAL ABILITY TEST (GAT):

This test will comprise of various sections as given below:

• Quantitative Ability
• Communication Ability
• English Comprehension
• Analytical Ability
• Current Affairs and General Knowledge

CREATIVE ABILITY TEST (CAT):

The CAT judges the power of observation in concept development, intuitive ability, and design ability of the candidate. An important aspect of CAT is the innovative and creative use of color and illustration skills.

Situation Test :

The aspirants shortlisted for B.Des from the prelims written exam need to give a situation test which is a hands-on test to evaluate the candidate’s skills for innovative ability and material handling on a given situation with a given set of materials. No additional material will be allowed/provided. The model will be evaluated on space visualization, creative use of given material, innovative, construction skill, the composition of elements, color scheme, the finesse of the model, and overall presentation etc. These parameters will be checked with the write up explaining the concept behind the model constructed. The write-up will be in English Since the medium of instruction in NIFT Exam is English. For write-up in any other language, No marks will be given.

Group Discussions:

Shortlisted candidates for Masters Programs from the written entrance examination are required to undergo Case Study based Group Discussions (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). GD will be of around 15 to 20 minutes which will be the discussion on a case study assigned, on which a panel of experts will judge the candidates on various parameters including:

• Conceptual clarity
• Knowledge of the topic assigned
• Contribution made to the topic
• Interpersonal skills
• Ability to generate new ideas
• Problem solving approach
• Leadership qualities
• Effective communication

Personal Interview:

Candidates shall be evaluated on the various parameters as listed below by a panel, in the Personal Interview:

• Career orientation
• Aptness for the course
• Overall personal achievements in academics and co-curricular activities
• Communication
• General awareness and aptitude, creative and lateral thinking.

What is the sectional weightage for NIFT Entrance Exam?

Programmes	Test	Weightage
Bachelor Of Design	CAT GAT Situation Test	50% 30% 20%
Master Of Design	CAT GAT GD/PI	40% 30% 30%
Bachelor Of Fashion Technology	GAT	100%
Master Of Fashion Technology	GAT GD/PI	70% 30%
Master Of Fashion Management	GAT GD/PI	70% 30%

Primary Departments in Design Colleges

Generally, the first year is common and students choose their specializations in their subsequent academic years. various specialization courses are listed below:

Bachelor Programmes - Bachelor of Design (B.Des) - Design

• Fashion Design (FD) - Provides holistic inputs on generic design with focused approach towards apparel inculcates the ability to develop and channelize creativity.
• Leather Design (LD) - Lays emphasis on Fashion, Footwear and Accessories Industry while focusing on an integrative design perspective within the Industry requirements.
• Accessory Design (AD) - A comprehensive study of fashion accessory, design processes on a social/cultural context
• Textile Design (TD) - Stresses on Woven, print design, embroidery and surface embellishment are the core textile subjects.
• Knitwear Design (KD) - Focuses on Knitwear apparel, Garment Construction, Pattern Making for Knits, Flat and Circular Knitting, Computerized Flat Knitting etc.
• Fashion Communication (FC) - An extensive study of brand identity, visual merchandising and fashion journalism.

Bachelor Programme - Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech.) - Technology

• Apparel Production (AP) - The course curriculum aims to introduce different essential streams including apparel manufacturing technology, information technology, quality management, etc.

Master Programmes

• Master of Design (M.Des.) - ‘Master of Design’ degree caters to this multi-disciplinary and dynamic nature of job profiles that seek professionals who can work in versatile environments.
• Master of Fashion Management (M.F.M) - In this course they are exposed to creative merchandising/ marketing, innovative fashion management practices, Information technology developments, directions of fashion trends and business practices through field visits and industry internships
• Master of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech.) - The programme adopts a holistic approach towards cultivating postgraduate students meant for techno managerial roles in the fashion and allied manufacturing sector.

Note: Fashion Design has its own programmes classified into various courses which are covered in detail on our Fashion Design Page.

DQ Labs Coaching for NIFT Design Programs (Indian and Global universities)

Design Quotient Labs (DQ LABS) provides unique Design Training Programs in which we successfully train creative students to get admission into their dream university. Students from DQ Labs have secured admissions into prestigious design universities like NIFT (UG /PG), India; Carnegie Melon University, USA; Instituto Europo di Design, Italy etc amongst others.

The students are mentored and guided by professional designers from elite institutes like IIT, NID, NIFT etc. who have previously worked with globally renowned design studios. The coaching programme for NIFT Entrance Exam is very comprehensive because it covers the entire syllabus and prepares them for the General Ability Test (GAT), Creative Ability Test (CAT), Situation Test, Group Discussion and Personal Interview. Similarly, students targetting other premier colleges in India and abroad are also guided accordingly. To know more about DQ LABS click here.

DQ LABS teaching methodology and study material for Fashion Design (NIFT) entrance exam preparation is a result of years of experience which we have gained through mentoring thousands of aspirants at our design studios in Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, and Mangalore.

Testimonials

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I am student of DQLABS and took the seven days crash course. The exhaustive study material helped me immensely while the numerous mock tests helped me see how the actual exam would takes place, ensuring better time management and accuracy on my part. i am grateful to DQ Labs for helping me obtain my score and realize my dreams.

Tanya Shah

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

I had enrolled for a two weeks course at DQ labs between the 1st of April and 13th of April, after which I wrote my exam on the 30th of April, giving a two week's gap of practice in between.I got my scorecard yesterday and I got a "134/200".I am very happy. This won't have been possible without the help and guidance given by my teachers at your Institute.

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