Want to be a Fashion Blogger?

Fashion Blogging is one of the newest and most trending types of blogging these days. Right from industry experts to students studying in Fashion Designing Colleges, everyone has taken up this new hobby and some are turning it into successful incomes as well. Since this is a new and entirely creative field, there are no particular rules or textbook methods you can follow to be successful. It is an extremely unpredictable yet exciting field and can challenge you in multiple ways. In case you wish to start your fashion blog, here are a few tips for you:

1. Find your niche: Before you even start the blog, you will have to do a lot of planning. You need to have a set theme or structure for your blog. This will make it easier for your viewers to remember you by your content. You need to find what unique and new things you can put up that will attract more audience. You need to carve your niche to stand out from the other bloggers. For this, keep your interests, talents, and goals in mind while deciding how you can uniquely present your content.

2. Build a Network: For any blog to do well, you need to have a large pool of audience. This can’t be built overnight and it takes months or sometimes even years to become famous among a certain community. However, when you want to start a blog, start by building a good network. Follow other fashion bloggers and try to get in contact with them as well. You can also ask your friends to spread the word about your upcoming blog with the help of social media. Another great way to market your blog is to attend different events and share your ideas with likeminded people at the event.

3. Build your Personality: Whenever you put out content on your blog, you will have to let your personality reflect from those posts. Without that, it will be an extremely bland and disconnected blog. So you have to make sure to let your personality shine through your content which will not only make it unique and relatable to your audience but also make sure that your audience can connect with you and do not lose interest over time. For this, you should work on your personality and make sure that every post or image that you put is unique to you.

Starting a blog that can be seen by the entire world is a scary thing to do. However, once you get the hang of it you will be able to do well as long as you are honest and sincere with your audience. You can be a student at one of the Designing Colleges in Pune or even a complete outsider in this industry, as long as you have the will and can work hard, nothing can stop you from achieving your goals. Remember that your blog might not be famous right from the start, so have patience and build it gradually.

A brief overview of Fashion Designing

“You may not have the power to control whatever happens to you, but you have the power to stop it from affecting your sense of style.” Israelmore Ayivor

There are a lot of people who wanna know and learn about different cultures and fashion styles. So, few of the fashion communication colleges in India have been keen on offering the best of knowledge to their students.

So in this article, let’s understand what fashion designing is all about and list a few of the best institutes to offer this course.

What is Fashion Designing?

The first thing that comes to our mind when we hear “Fashion”, is clothes or any form of clothing. It has always been known as a part of a person’s lifestyle. The fashion sense of a person tells a lot about him/her.

Fashion Designing, as a course, can be called as a form of art that is specifically dedicated to the creation of clothing and other wearable accessories that are an essential part of a person's lifestyle.

Now, to become a fashion designer, one must have certain qualities. Let’s list down a few of them and see how anyone can become a designer..

If you decide on becoming a designer, you need to keep few things in mind.

Below listed are few of the many:

●      Having a creative and artistic personality.

●      Have excellent drawing skills and ability to combine tones, shades and colours.

●      You should be able to work with all kinds of fabric and use cloth in a very creative and an original manner to make something new every time.

●      Few of the most successful fashion designers possess the best visual imaginations which help them to express their thoughts in real life, while they transform their ideas into beautiful pieces of clothing.

●      Fashion designers always need to update and know the requirements of the fashion market in real-time.

●      You will always need to have the urge and the motivation to learn new things. This can be done by magazines, books and journals on the fashion designing industry and the latest trends.

●      Having a general interest in art. Visiting art galleries and interacting with all types of artists will give you a great scope of exposure and opportunity.

●      You, as a designer, should also have basic experience and knowledge about tailoring and should be able to tell the difference between the various qualities and levels of fabrics.

Now, after seeing what it takes to become a fashion designer, let’s talk about the top colleges that you can take admission in and start your journey into the world of fashion.

Eligibility Criteria:

The requirements to get an admission may differ depending on the college you pick. For example, the cut off at NIFT would be somewhere near 50-60%. But then at SID , the criteria could be somewhere close to  60-65%.

Few of the top colleges are listed below;

●      Pearl Academy - New Delhi

●      NIFT - Bangalore

●      Symbiosis Institute of Design - Pune

●      JD Institute of Fashion Technology - Mumbai

●      Arch College of Design & Business - Jaipur

So, if you are willing to pursue a career in the fashion world, you can consider the above-given fashion designing colleges as your options. These are a few of the best colleges which will help you shape and enhance your knowledge in fashion.

Careers in the field of fashion

With so many Fashion Designing Colleges across the country, a career in fashion has become a popular choice among students today. Often people think that a career in fashion means only modelling or designing. However, the truth is that there are a lot of opportunities in this field that very few know about. Students interested in fashion as a career tend to have many misconceptions about the industry as well, which deters them from pursuing this field. There are several career options within this industry, here is a list of some to help you out :

1.Fashion Designing: This is perhaps the most commonly pursued path. Designers design new clothes and collections for brands. They can also have their stores or outlets. People who are good at sketching and also have a good sense of handling fabrics and textures can do well in this career. Designers also need to have a good understanding of colours and must be skilled in stitching and tailoring work.

2.Fashion Illustrator: Illustrators work very closely with designers. They help designers put their ideas into final sketches. Illustrators mainly work in sketching out the garments, accessories, shoes, and hair as well for the design created by the designer. Illustrators also make the final advertising copies of designs to be given in print or online marketing. You must have sound drawing and sketching skills if you want to become an illustrator.

3.Fashion Stylist: Stylists have a very creative and hands-on role in their jobs. It is the stylists' responsibility to bring the photographers and art director's vision for the shoot to life. Stylists work very closely with several media organizations and photographers and producers as well. One needs to have good communication and management skills for this job role. It is also essential to have a creative vision so you can recreate it in real life.

4.Fashion Writer: As the name goes, fashion writers primarily write about the various trends and styles in the fashion industry. They work closely with the PRs of a company or brand and write about the designs styled by them. They also produce the editorial copies to be published in the fashion media industry. Writers work with several magazines and newspapers as well and can even have their blogs or tv shows. Fashion writers need to be updated with the latest trends and news within the industry.

Other than the ones mentioned above, there are other career options such as Garment Technologist, Retail Buyer, Merchandisers, Textile Designers and many more available in this industry. Some of the best fashion communication colleges in India offer a variety of courses in this field that you can pursue. If you have a genuine interest in entering the world of fashion, then do your research accordingly so you can decide which course you want to apply for beforehand itself.

How can you pursue Fashion Design as a Career?

Several institutes have started offering fashion and communication design courses in India. Fashion designing, which is a relatively glamorous industry, has always been considered as a rich man's gamble. It is assumed that only people with influence and contacts in high places can enter this industry. However, many premier institutes in the country offer degree courses in fashion designing and technology, offering everyone with a talent an opportunity to enter this highly prestigious industry. If you have a hobby for fashion and wish to take it further as a career, here are a few tips for you to keep in mind:

1. Explore your options: Many colleges are unknown to students since this is not a mainstream career option. Research about the colleges you can apply to and find out which different courses they offer. It is always better to consider all the available options before making a decision. Keep in mind the reputation of the college, industry exposure given to students and the course structure, among other factors before you decide to apply. Find about their selection process and make sure you satisfy all the criteria.

2. Refine your skills: It is likely that in the selection process, there will be a written exam followed by a studio test and interview. Practice regularly and refine your sketching and designing skills. Developing these skills will not only help you in your selection process but will also help you build your portfolio. Being updated with the latest trends and having advanced skills will increase the number of opportunities that you get.

3. Get work experience: Since this is a practical field, work experience and recommendation letters hold more value than mark sheets. When you are studying, look for a part-time job or internship that you can do in your free time. This will not only teach you how to overcome actual problems in the workplace but also help you find your style of this art and build a network. Having a strong network of colleagues will offer you a variety of ventures throughout your career. Getting letters of recommendation from your employers will help you get better roles and move up the career ladder.

Many Fashion Communication Colleges have already started with their admission procedures. Make sure that you complete all the formalities in time to secure a seat for yourself. This artistic field can be challenging. However, if you have a passion and are willing to work hard, then you are guaranteed to succeed in all your endeavours.