How to Become a Fashion Designer After 12th?
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Are you in class 12 or passing class 12th this year, and thinking of making a career in the Design industry? Then let me tell you, becoming a Fashion Designer is one of the top choices of students in this field. Read on to know how to become a Fashion Designer after Class 12.
How to become a Fashion Designer?
- Who is a Fashion Designer?
- Skills required to become a Fashion Designer
- Eligibility Criteria to Become a Fashion Designer After Class 12
- Courses to Become a Fashion Designer After 10+2
- Fees of Fashion Design Colleges
- Fashion Design Courses After 12th - Admission Process
Who is a Fashion Designer?
A fashion designer is a person who makes sketches and creates those sketches into original clothes, jewelry, footwear, and accessories. The main task of a Fashion designer is not only to make sketches, but to select fabric, materials, and patterns according to the trend in the market. They also create designs according to the demand of the general audience and customers. A Fashion Designer must have a creative and artistic mind.
Commonly asked questions
Candidates will be able to check the cutoff for NIFT Delhi on the website of NIFT: nift.admissions.nic.in. The opening and closing rank of all the programmes is given on this page. This year, NIFT 2026 cutoff is expected to be on the lower side.
The expected cutoff for NIFT 2026 for B.Des is:
| Category | Expected Cutoff for B.Des |
|---|---|
| Open | 30-80 |
| EWS | 26-29 |
| OBC | 26-29 |
| SC | 22 |
| ST | 19 |
The cut-off of NIFT for the various academic courses is not fixed. This is because the cut-off depends on variables like seat intake, the performance of applicants in the NIFT exam, total number of applications received for admission, etc. Now these variables may change from year to year. For instance, the number of candidates appearing in NIFT and qualifying the exam may be different across the years. And when that happens, the cut-off also changes. Typically, if the seat intake increases, the cut-off goes down and vice versa. Likewise, if the number of applicants increases, expect a higher cut-off.
Skills required to become a Fashion Designer
The skills required to become a Fashion Designer are:
- Drawing and sketching skills: To become a fashion designer, you must be able to sketch and draw. You need not be an expert artist like Van Gogh or Piccaso, but should know how to sketch using your imagination and creativity.
- Creativity and imagination: These are the most important skills that a person who wants to become a fashion designer should have. He should have skills to think and imagine, and draw using imagination. He must have creativity to bring a new thing out of nothing.
- Know of fabrics and textiles: To become a fashion designer, one must have a thorough idea of fabrics and textiles used, what is in the market, and what is outdated. However, this all will be taught if a candidate pursues Fashion Designing after class 12.
- Fashion trend awareness: One must be active in the trends going on. He/she should have an interest in fashion weeks and walks. He should follow such news to get a grip on this.
- Computer and designing software skills: One must be technically sound if he/she want to become a Fashion Designer in today's world full of AI. One must know CAD, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.
Eligibility Criteria to Become a Fashion Designer After Class 12
The eligibility criteria for admission to the fashion design course after 10+2 are described below. These criteria are not fixed, but are only meant to give you an overall perspective.
| Type of Course |
Eligibility Criteria |
|---|---|
| UG Courses |
The candidate must have scored a minimum of 50% aggregate marks in 10+2 |
| PG courses |
The candidate must have scored a minimum of 50% aggregate marks in the graduate-level exam |
| Diploma Courses |
Candidates must have passed the 10+2 exam from a recognized institute with a minimum of 50% marks. |
Commonly asked questions
NIFT cutoff for a participating NIFT is the last rank for which admission is offered in for a particular programme and category. This means, if a candidate fails to score a rank equal to or higher than the cutoff rank, they don't get admission. Typically, a higher ranked institute will invite: More applications Higher-ranked candidates This in turn pushes up the cutoff in higher ranked (or popular) institutes. Likewise, a lower-ranked institute will receive comparatively fewer number of applications, and mostly from lower-ranked candidates. This means, cut-off in these institutes are lower making it much easier to get admission.
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Courses to Become a Fashion Designer After 10+2
Here are some of the popular courses the candidate can pursue after completing their Class XII.
| Name of the Course |
Course Duration |
|---|---|
| 3 years |
|
| 4 years |
|
| 4 years |
|
| BDes in Textile Design |
4 years |
| 4 years |
|
| BDes in Fashion Communication |
3 years |
| 2 years |
|
| 3 years |
|
| BDes in Product Design |
4 years |
| Bachelor of Fashion and Apparel Design |
3 years |
| BDes in Communication Design |
3 years |
| 3 years |
|
| BDes in Jewellery Design |
3 years |
| BDes in Knitwear Design |
3 years |
| BFTech in Apparel Production |
4 Years |
| BA (Hons) in Fashion Design |
3 Years |
| Diploma in Fashion Design |
1 year |
| Advanced Diploma in Fashion Design |
2 years |
| 1 year |
|
| Certificate Course in Fashion Design |
1 year |
| MA in Fashion Design |
2 years |
| 2 years |
|
| Masters of Fashion Management |
2 years |
| 12 to 18 months |
Fees of Fashion Design Colleges
Check out the table to find the fee for Fashion Design Colleges.
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Fashion Design Courses After 12th - Admission Process
- The admission process to design courses after 10+2 varies depending on the program selected and the institute. For instance, admission to B.Des courses at institutes like the NIFTs and NIDs is conducted strictly based on entrance exams like NIFT and NID DAT, respectively.
- On the other hand, admission to certificate and diploma courses is typically based on qualifying exam marks. No entrance exam is conducted. The same goes for certificate courses.
- Some institutes may offer admission to B.Des and BA Fashion Design courses directly based on qualifying exam marks.
- Some Institutes also accept the National Level entrance exam to give admission to design courses, like scores of NIFT, UCEED, NID, CUET, etc., are used to get admission to design colleges.
Salary of a Fashion Designer in India
The salary of a Fashion designer depends on the year of experience. The table below shows the salary according to experience.
| Experience Level | Experience Year | Average Salary (INR/per month) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Level | 0-2 years | 25,000 to 40,000 |
| Mid-Level | 3-6 years | 50,000 to 1,00,000 |
| Senior Designer | 7+ years | 1,00,000 to 2,50,000 |
| Celebrity/Luxury Designer | 7+ years | 5,00,000 to 10,00,000 |
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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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