How to become a Fashion Designer: Steps, Top Fashion Colleges, Profile & Salary
If you are an aspiring fashion designer, here we bring you everything you need to know to become one. We bring you the top institutes where to study, the qualities, career paths, and much more. So, read on.
How to Become a Fashion Designer
A fashion designer is a person who creates designs for clothing, accessories and footwear. To be a fashion designer, you must not only have a proper understanding of different fabrics, their properties, and colors but also possess a creative and artistic mind. You will also need to have a fair understanding of the technical aspects of the profession and build dependable networks and professional relationships. In this article, we discuss how you can become a fashion designer, especially a successful one at that.
- How to Become a Fashion Designer?
- Top Fashion Design Colleges in India
- How to get Admission to Top Fashion Design Colleges?
- Job Profile and Salary of a Fashion Designer
How to Become a Fashion Designer?
If you have the fire and desire to become a Fashion designer, here we bring you the route you need to take.
Find out whether you have it in you to be a fashion designer
Before plunging into a career in fashion design, you must ensure you have some of the basic traits to become one. Here are some common traits of a fashion designer.
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- A fashion designer must have good communication skills
- He or she must be creative and have an artistic bent of mind
- Have an interest in everything related to fashion design and fashion trends
- Drawing skills
- A good sense of color
- Good visual ability
Some of these skills can be cultivated. So, if you intend to become a fashion designer, make it a point to improve these basic traits.
Complete your degree in Fashion Design
IIT Bombay declares the names of the CEED participating institutes at the time of the release of the admission notification or sometime thereabout. Also, the number of participating instittutes may change from one year to another. So, we can’t say that the number of participating institutes is fixed.
In fact, IIT Bomaby in consultation with the member institutes decides the list of participating institutes. Note that the IIT Bombay conducts a Joint Seat Allotment Process for the participating institutes. Also, participating institutes can only use CEED scores for admission purposes.
Nowadays, it is considered non-negotiable not to get a B.Des or similar degree if you want to make it big in the fashion design industry. If you are the son, daughter, or relative of a celebrity, maybe you can buck this trend. But otherwise, a degree is more or less a must.
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A degree will help you understand the basics of the subject and also play a role in introducing you to important people in the industry. If you play your cards well, you can depend on these people to build a good network for future fashion design projects. NIFTs, NID, IITs, and other design institutions have design degrees in UG and PG programmes, like B.Des, B.F Tech, M.Des, M.F Tech, M.F.M, PhD, etc. Admission to these top institutes like NIFT Bangalore, NIFT Kolkata, and NIFT Delhi is done based on the NIFT entrance exam. Some of the other top entrance exams you can take are NID DAT and UCEED.
Ensure you have a solid portfolio
A portfolio is a collection of your best works. Assemble a portfolio showcasing your best work. This should include sketches, illustrations, and completed projects that reflect your evolving design style. A strong portfolio is crucial when applying for internships, jobs, or fashion design programs. Regularly update and refine your portfolio to demonstrate growth and versatility in your design capabilities.
No, each institute has its own admission process, even though they accept CEED scores. Generally, CEED admission process includes
- Shortlisting of candidates based on CEED scores
- Institute-specific written tests or assignments (varies by institute)
- Personal Interview (PI) or portfolio review
- Final selection based on overall performance
Candidates should check the official website of each institute for specific details.
There are 19 NIFT colleges that offer admission for 2026 academic session. The list below gives the names of all NIFT Institutes in India.
S.No | NIFT Campus |
|---|---|
1 | NIFT New Delhi |
2 | NIFT Chennai |
3 | NIFT Gandhinagar |
4 | NIFT Hyderabad |
5 | NIFT Kolkata |
6 | NIFT Mumbai |
7 | NIFT Bengaluru |
8 | NIFT Raebareli |
9 | NIFT Bhopal |
10 | NIFT Kannur |
11 | NIFT Shillong |
12 | NIFT Patna |
13 | NIFT Kangra |
14 | NIFT Bhubaneswar |
15 | NIFT Jodhpur |
16 | NIFT Srinagar |
17 | NIFT Panchkula |
18 | NIFT Daman |
19 | NIFT Varanasi |
The admission to the NIDs is conducted through a Design Aptitude Test (DAT). The DAT is a two-stage exam.
The candidate has to first appear in DAT Prelims and then, if shortlisted, have to appear in DAT Mains. The final merit list for admission will be prepared by giving weightage to both DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. If a candidate appear in DAT Prelims, but doesn’t appear in DAT Mains, he or she will not be considered for admission.
It is recommended to maintain a digital portfolio, as then you can easily share your work with important people. The portfolio may include sketches, mixed media illustrations and digital work, two and three-dimensional articles and collaging, photography, 3D objects like sculpture, gadgets, etc.
Along with theoretical, get practical knowledge as well
Design is not a field where you can go very far only with theoretical knowledge. So, to get the ins and outs of the profession, you need to learn the ropes by taking internships at fashion houses, fashion shows, etc. Once you understand and experience first-hand the nuances of the profession, you are ready for big things.
Be an extrovert and keep track of industry trends
Being shy may work sometimes. But you can’t afford to stay in a cocoon at all times, hoping good things will come to you on a platter. So, go out and meet important people.
Also, given the nature of the fashion industry, where fashion trends can change overnight, keeping track of emerging trends is vital.
The evolving fashion trend may relate to a political or cultural statement or some other thing. But as a designer, it is important to catch the pulse of the changing trends.
Work on your technical skills
Being a designer, you will have to deal with many technical aspects, including fashion software, pattern making, Adobe Illustrator, textiles, fabrics, etc. So, even if you can’t transform into a technical geek, you at least need to learn the basics. This will help you make practical and correct decisions. Note that as a fashion designer, you may also be asked to make presentations. So, you must be able to handle different design software as well and prepare your presentations.
Build a strong network and professional relationships
If you want to be a successful designer, you need to have a strong network across all design verticals. Remember, these networks will be the launchpad of your success. One way to start building networks is to participate in fashion events and take membership in professional organizations.
Having warm relationships with your peers, professors, mentors, and industry people could also go a long way in building a strong network and professional relationships.
Create a unique brand and identity
As you mature in the profession, it is important to develop your own brand and design identity. You must define your USP and create a brand that not only stands apart but is also a part of your identity.
If you can build a personal brand, it will help you establish yourself more firmly.
Top Fashion Design Colleges in India
The list of Top Fashion Design Colleges is
| Name of the Institute |
India Today 2023 Ranking |
India Today 2022 Ranking |
India Today 2021 Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
1 |
1 |
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| 2 |
2 |
2 |
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| 3 |
3 |
3 |
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| 4 |
4 |
4 |
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| 6 |
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6 |
5 |
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| 5 |
7 |
7 |
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| 8 |
8 |
8 |
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| 9 |
9 |
9 |
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| 11 |
10 |
10 |
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| 14 |
11 |
11 |
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| 15 |
12 |
13 |
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| 13 |
13 |
- |
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| 16 |
14 |
12 |
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| 12 |
15 |
- |
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| 18 |
16 |
14 |
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| 17 |
17 |
16 |
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| 20 |
18 |
17 |
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| 19 |
19 |
15 |
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| 22 |
20 |
18 |
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| - |
22 |
23 |
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23 |
19 |
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| 23 |
24 |
24 |
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| 24 |
25 |
28 |
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| - |
26 |
22 |
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| - |
27 |
27 |
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| - |
28 |
25 |
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| - |
29 |
26 |
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| Department of Fashion Technology, Sona College of Technology, Salem |
- |
30 |
- |
| - |
31 |
- |
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| - |
32 |
- |
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33 |
- |
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34 |
- |
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35 |
- |
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36 |
- |
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37 |
- |
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38 |
- |
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39 |
- |
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40 |
- |
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41 |
- |
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| Department of Fashion and Textiles IIS, Jaipur |
- |
42 |
- |
| - |
43 |
- |
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| - |
44 |
- |
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| Department of Costume Design & Fashion, Kongu Arts and Science College, Erode |
- |
45 |
- |
| - |
46 |
- |
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| Department of Fashion Designing Sardar Patel Mahavidyalaya Chandrapur, Chandrapur |
- |
47 |
- |
| - |
48 |
- |
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| - |
49 |
- |
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| - |
- |
20 |
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| - |
- |
21 |
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| - |
- |
29 |
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| - |
- |
30 |
How to get Admission to Top Fashion Design Colleges?
Admission to the top fashion design colleges is often conducted on the basis of entrance exams like NIFT, NID DAT, UCEED, and SEED. For instance, if you are planning to get admission to one of the NIFTs, then you need to take the NIFT entrance exam, which is conducted by the NTA.
The admission process typically starts with the filling out of the application form. The candidate has to next appear in a written exam. If shortlisted, the candidate has to next appear in a Situation Test or Studio Test. PG candidates have to appear for a Personal Interview.
Job Profile and Salary of a Fashion Designer
The job profile and annual salary of a fashion designer are given in the table below.
| Job Profile |
Job Description |
Average Annual Salary in INR |
|---|---|---|
| Being a fashion designer, your job role will be to work on various types of clothes, including jeans, jackets, men’s wear, women’s wear, children’s wear, knitwear, sportswear, etc. |
INR 5 LPA-INR 7 LPA |
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 |
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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There are 19 NIFTs that will accept NIFT 2026 Scores for admission purposes. These institutes are known as participating colleges.
However, in addition to the participating colleges, there are other private colleges that will also consider NIFT 2026 scores for admission to their UG and PG design courses. The candidates are urged to go through the list of result-sharing institutes.