All you need to know about Career in Fashion Designing: Courses, Eligibility, Institutes and Jobs
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Fashion Designing is a glamorous career that many students aspire to. But how exactly can one make a career in the fashion industry and make a mark? We take you through the step-wise process!
Fashion Designing has always captured the imagination of the public, but in the last few years or so, it has also quickly become one of the popular career choices for students. The mainstreaming of fashion designing as a career choice is spearheaded by top design institutes like the NIFTs and NIDs. Students passing out of these institutes often dazzle the world with their creative genius and are in high demand.
But to make a mark in the fashion designing world, the candidate needs to have good sketching skills, be creative, be up to date with the latest fashion trends, and be ready to work hard. If you also dream of making a career in fashion designing, you need to first get a diploma or an undergraduate degree and learn the ropes of fashion designing, including the basics of designing clothes and apparel.
Also read:
- What is Fashion Designing?
- Task and Role of a Fashion Designer
- How to Pursue a Career in Fashion Designing?
- Eligibility Criteria for Admission to Fashion Designing Course
- Top Institutes to Study a Course in Fashion Designing
- Popular Fashion Designers in India
- Top Fashion Designers in the World
- Job Options for Fashion Designing in India
- Fashion Designing Jobs - Average Base Salary
- Career in Fashion Designing - Frequently Asked Questions
What is Fashion Designing?
Fashion designing is the art of creating fashionable clothing and lifestyle accessories. Unlike products manufactured in a factory, fashion designing typically involves individually designing apparel and lifestyle items. In fact, the personal touch is one of the most significant features of fashion designing.
To succeed in the field, you must be able to weave magic with textiles, shades, shapes, and colors. Constant innovation is also a byword for success in the field.
You can apply online on the official website: cetcell.mahacet.org when registrations are open. The application fee is
INR 1900 for General/Open category and All India candidates
INR 1400 for SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwD/Orphan/Transgender candidates from Maharashtra.
The eligibility criteria for MAH B.Des CET is given below.
Must be an Indian national.
Passed 10+2 or equivalent exam with at least 45% (40% for reserved categories).
There is no age limit.
Task and Role of a Fashion Designer
If you become a fashion designer, you will have to perform the following activities:
- Manage the designing process from conception to the end (finished product).
- Considering designs must be trendy, you need to conduct market research to identify emerging and prevalent trends.
- You also must have a very keen eye as you will have to select the fabrics, clothes, and trims.
- Make sketches for development packages
- You will also have to coordinate with designers to ensure the product is as per the required specifications.
- During or before the product presentation, ensure the product is the right fit and design.
How to Pursue a Career in Fashion Designing?
To become a fashion designer or pursue a career in fashion design, students must enroll in a diploma, undergraduate, or postgraduate degree program.
| Course Level |
Available Courses |
|---|---|
| Diploma |
Diploma in Fashion Technician |
| Diploma in Fashion Technology |
|
| Diploma in Fashion Design |
|
| UG |
|
| Bachelor in Textile Design |
|
| Bachelor in Fashion Design and Management |
|
| Bachelor in Design and Fashion Management |
|
| Master |
|
| Master of Fashion Management (MFM) |
|
| Master in Fashion Design Technology |
|
| Master in Fashion Design Technology |
Minimum qualifying criteria for NID DAT are the minimum marks candidate needs to secure for admission. The category-wise cut-off would be released at the time of counseling and seat allotment. Cut-off would be prepared by considering factors like total number of applicants, merit ranks of applicants in NID DAT, seat intake of applied programme, etc.
The results of the DAT Prelims will include the qualifying status of the candidate. If the candidate fails to qualify in DAT Prelims, he or she will not be eligible to appear in DAT Mains.
Note that the Desing Aptitude Test (DAT) conducted by the National Institute of Design (NID) has two sub-exams: DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.
Both the exams are mandatory.
Also, the final merit list is prepared by giving weighatage to DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. So, if a can candidate fails to qualify DAT Prelims or doesn’t appear in DAT Mains, the candidate will be disqualified from the admission process.
Yes, the National Institute of Fashion Technology will allow candidates with late fees. The late fee application window will open once the deadline to fill out the NIFT 2026 application form with regular fee closes. The start and last date to fill out the NIFT 2026 application form with late fee will be notified by the institute before the regular application form closes or sometime thereabout. The late fee for NIFT 2026 will be INR 5,000. The late fee has to be paid in addition to the application fee, which is INR 3000 for open category candidates.
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Eligibility Criteria for Admission to Fashion Designing Course
- Diploma courses - For admission to undergraduate diploma courses, the candidate simply needs to have passed Class 10 exam. There is also no need to appear in any entrance exam, as admission is typically on the basis of Class 10 (qualifying exam) marks.
- Undergraduate degree course - For admission to fashion designing courses offered by the top institutes, the candidate will have to appear in entrance exams like NID, NIFT, UCEED, SEED, Pearl Academy Entrance Exam, etc. The minimum academic requirement is a 10+2 pass.
- Postgraduate degree course - Candidates who have completed their graduation can take admission to PG courses in fashion designing. Popular entrance exams include NID, NIFT, and CEED.
Top Institutes to Study a Course in Fashion Designing
Some of the institutes offering Fashion design courses are:
- Pearl Academy
- Unitedworld Institute of Design (UID)
- Karnavati University (KU)
- Arch Academy of Design
- National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi
- National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai
- National Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore
- National Institute of Fashion Technology, Chennai
- National Institute of Fashion Technology, Patna
- Symbiosis Institute of Design, Symbiosis International, Pune
- Army Institute of Fashion and Design
- Amity School of Fashion Technology, Amity University, Noida
- JD Institute of Fashion Technology, Brigade Road
- Vogue Institute of Art and Design
Also read:
- Sketching and Coloring Questions for Design Entrance Exams
- How to make a Design Portfolio: Structure, Layout, Sample and Steps
Popular Fashion Designers in India
Some of the popular designers in India are:
| Manish Malhotra |
Sabyasachi Mukherjee |
| Ritu Kumar |
Rohit Bal |
| Tarun Tahiliani |
Neeta Lulla |
| Anita Dongre |
Anamika Khanna |
| Ritu Beri |
Raghavendra Rathore |
Top Fashion Designers in the World
- Guccio Gucci
- Alber Elbaz
- Gabrielle Chanel
- Cristobal Balenciaga
- Riccardo Tisci
- Halston Designer
Job Options for Fashion Designing in India
After completion of the fashion design course, the student can take up any of the following jobs:
- Fashion Designer
- Makeup Artist
- Fashion Journalist
- Fashion Potographer
- Model
- Textile, footwear, or jewellery designer
- Fashion Stylist
- Retail Manager
- Retail Buyer
Fashion Designing Jobs - Average Base Salary
The average salary in fashion designing jobs is:
| Job Role |
Average Base Salary Per Year |
|---|---|
| Design Intern |
INR 3, 64,384 |
| Industrial Designer |
INR 6, 03,770 |
| Textile Designer |
INR 4,24,813 |
| Fashion Designer |
INR 3,68,686 |
| Product Designer |
INR 6,58,032 |
| Design Manager |
INR 1,187,789 |
| Jewellery Designer |
INR 414,823 |
Explore more Design exams with upcoming dates
27 Feb '26
17 Oct '25 - 28 Feb '26
3 Dec '25 - 28 Feb '26
28 Feb '26
6 Mar '26
8 Mar '26
12 Jan '26 - 12 Mar '26
15 Dec '25 - 15 Mar '26
10 Oct '25 - 28 Feb '26
Career in Fashion Designing - Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the advantages of pursuing a career in fashion designing?
- The job more or less is glamorous
- The payment is decent
- There will be no room for monotony, as you will be surrounded by creativity
- You get to meet influential and important people
- If you like sketching and designing clothes, you are in the right profession.
Q. What are some of the disadvantages of working in the film industry?
- Being a creative world, you are always under pressure to bring something new to the table
- There are tight deadlines to be met
- It is not a 9-5 job. Far from it! Get ready to work long and extended hours.
- Being such a glamorous industry, there is always competition knocking at your door. So, if you slip up, someone else may end up taking your place.
Q. How can I become a fashion designer?
Q. What kind of jobs can I may get after completing a course in fashion design?
Q. What is the minimum eligibility criteria to become a fashion designer?
Sayeba Naushad is a commerce postgraduate from Banaras Hindu University. She has over five years of experience in content writing and editing. She has a nose for current events in design field. At Shiksha.com, she s
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Candidates applying for B. Des course need to have passed 10+2 exam from a recognised institute and should be less than 24 years as of August 1, 2026. Relaxation of 5 years in the upper age limit applies for candidates belonging to SC, ST and PwD categories.