Academic excellence in high school is one of the most critical things for future success, says Ruhani Bhagtani

I chose Humanities in XI-XII as I was more interested in theory subjects such as Psychology and History. I was focused on fashion designing since Class IX, so, I started researching about the courses and colleges in the same field. When I came across INIFD Vashi - International Institute of Fashion Design Vashi, I found that this institute would help me to achieve my goals. So, I applied for admission in this institute.

There are certain aspects of the institute which I really liked :

• Before joining the institute, I had a counseling session with one of the faculty members and found the faculty to be well-aware about the current trends in the fashion designing industry
• Collaboration with Lakme Fashion Week, London Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week
• I was fascinated by the fact that Manish Malhotra, Ashley Rebello are the celebrity mentors for fashion designing students. On the International front, there are leading fashion stylists, visual merchandisers, hair and makeup artists who mentor students
• INIFD Vashi has a track record of over 80 per cent placements of the students through campus. So, that gave me confidence that I can implement things in my job that I have learnt at the institute

I believe that academic excellence in high school is one of the most critical things for future success at INIFD Vashi. On the basis of my academic scores, I cracked the entrance of INIFD Vashi. I didn’t take any coaching class for the preparation. I didn’t face any challenge while opting for this college. I researched about the institute from the following sources :

• Google reviews: I read the reviews of current and past students extensively and found them to be honest
• Instagram: I followed the Instagram page of INIFD Vashi and kept a constant check on the daily updates from the institute through their stories and posts
• Info session: After my online research, I visited the institute and had an elaborate discussion with the counselor and a faculty member. They informed me about the courses, national and international opportunities that are available at the institute

Most of my time is spent attending lectures and completing the remaining assignments. Faculty members are available for students at regular intervals, so it becomes easier to stay here after lectures and take help from them. Doing illustrations, making PPTs, pattern making, drafting, these all things take up most of my time here at college.

I like to attend illustration workshops and textile study. At INIFD Vashi, no two days are the same. There are various extracurricular activities including Fresher’s Party, Convocation, Diwali party and Navratri party. If given a chance, I would like to participate in more college fests to showcase my talent or work under some good people to gain experience in my field of work. I have improved my time management skills, learnt how to be more disciplined towards fashion design. Also, I have understood that it is important to be well-groomed. I’m more focused on my goals now.

As of today, in my journey at INIFD, I have interned with Tommy Hilfiger as a CRO, after which I took a full-time job at Calvin Klein as a Fashion Consultant. I have also styled for an upcoming Marathi movie ‘Vrutti’ and have assisted in styling of celebrity Evelyn Sharma for an in-house photoshoot of her NGO Seams for Dreams.

I definitely foresee many opportunities in the future as a designer, stylist or a merchandiser.     

About Author

Ruhani Bhagtani is a BSc Fashion Designing student at INIFD, Vashi. She is a goal-oriented, compassionate person who likes to help everyone. She aims to be a successful designer in the near future.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha