digitalLEARNING-Mar-2011-[14-16]-IGNOU-Urshla Kant

FASHION SECTOR

Fashion Design Courses@IGNOU Fashion industry is currently employing around 35 million people and has become a potential employment generating sector in India. In the coming future, Indian fashion industry is heading towards competing globally to be a fashion leader.

By Urshla Kant

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oday Indian designers are using wide range of clothing, fabrics, embroidery, textiles and looking forward to fuse the Indo-western gap in dressing sense. The variety available in costumes and garments had made India fashionable. Depending on the climate and availability of natural fibers, people are slowly giving more priority to their fashion needs and widening their thinking and their imagination towards fine tuning fashion in India. Today fashion is continuously evolving and we need new designers and manpower to redefine fashion in every step of life. No doubt, we are heading towards making International mark in the fashion sector and to create global market for our Indian fashion industry.

This industry is expanding hugely and is expected to occupy a significant position in the Indian as well as global retail market. The designing styles and cos-

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tumes of different people have changed fashion over the ages. India’s pride lies in the fact that this evolving fashion is also balancing and preserving our self esteemed culture. It is quite unbelievable that our traditional heritage has been greatly deposited through the elegant fashionable mode.

It has been realised that the various areas of design, operations, merchandising, and marketing and retail need immense qualified manpower. The fashion industry has the ability to generate career opportunities for professionals to work with design houses, manufacturing companies, export houses, textile groups, fashion brands, retail chains, costume designers and to networking with entertainment as well as media industry.

The understanding of elements, principals and concepts of fashion and textile design, along with appropriate skills both

technical and managerial is important for all the aspiring professionals to train fashion industry professionals and students well for the growth and development of industry. The real challenge before us is to merge right and relevant skills and to create well qualified graduates for the fashion sector in the coming times. With this vision, IGNOU taken steps forward for developing much needed academic programmes with the view to provide proper training with fashion industry through internships and active interactions alongwith a world class infrastructure experience, time tested leadership and dedicated faculty for the overall development of students and potential professionals.

IGNOU has been making an attempt to disseminate quality education in fashion and design to a larger section of the population. The gradual change from the conventional learning system to the face-

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digitalLEARNING / march 2011

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to-face classroom teaching with the help of appropriate technological resources has given learner friendly and flexible approach to these programmes.

For the first time in the year 2008, IGNOU has entered into the field of fashion education by starting diversified programmes i.e. B.A in Fashion Design, B.A in Fashion Merchandising and Production and B.A in Textile Design with specialisation in woven and knitwear stream. These are 3 years regular full time programmes offered in collaboration with Pearl Academy of Fashion in Delhi.

IGNOU jointly with Pearl Academy of Fashion offers these programmes as 3 years regular full time programmes with an exit option: (a) after successful completion of first year courses of the programme a candidate shall be awarded certificate.

IGNOU has taken one step forward for developing much needed academic programmes with the view to provide proper training with fashion industry through internships and active interactions (b) after successful completion of 1st and 2nd year courses of the programme a candidate shall be awarded diploma and (c) after successful completion of all the three years courses of the programme a candidate shall be awarded a three-year B.A degree.

Also from July 2010, IGNOU has launched four other graduate and post graduate programmes in Apparel Design and Merchandising; Fashion Communication; Fashion Retail Management and Apparel Production Management, in collaboration with Institute of Apparel Management (IAM) in Gurgaon. These programmes are future-proof and industry relevant with high level of balance between skills and knowledge to create a ‘New Generation’ of fashion professionals especially trained on state-of-art technologies including the “Fashion Innovation Lab” etc. The key objective of IGNOU-IAM Fashion & Design Management Centre is to create ‘industry-ready managerial cadre’ for the very challenging and demanding export and domestic industry as well

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as for creating new avenues for design and merchandising professionals for the retail industry.

In order to deliver contemporary and industry-oriented education and to adopt innovative, real life experiences and knowledge sharing approach, IGNOU has been supported by India’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning in fashion, design and retail (Pearl Academy of Fashion and Institute of Apparel Management) to help students acquire highly valued skills and competencies. Pearl Academy of Fashion was established in 1993 is an institution of high status and has been providing education and training for the fashion and related sectors. Institute of Apparel Management is India’s first Apparel Multi-varsity (multi-university under one roof), offering Indian and International pathways to students and is promoted by Apparel Export Promotion Council sponsored by Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. IAM was established in 2007 with an intention to create professionals for ‘Business of Fashion’ for

Fashion, Textiles and Lifestyle Industry.

IAM is instrumental in training designers, design professionals, design managers, designer merchandisers, quality professionals, etc. with a broad base knowledge of applied management skills, competencies and understanding the dynamics of fashion and apparel business in global context. These institutes have a large pool of well qualified faculty members backed by a world-class infrastructure, comprising state-of-the-art machinery, equipment and resource centres to help students acquire highly valued skills and competencies.

The students of IGNOU-IAM programmes have shown remarkable achievement and earn laurels to the university. Recently a team of students from Institute of Apparel Management, Gurgaon, led by Nandita Puri, a second semester student of IGNOU-IAM Programme-B.A. in Apparel Design and Merchandising (BAADM) programme participated in ‘Stylize’ competition (The Fashion Show) at ‘Indiafest’ in Goa on 4th and 5th February 2011 which was an initiative by Channel [V]. Our team held first position in the ‘Stylize’ competition and received a cash prize of Rs. 28,000 and other merchandise.

They were shortlisted for the event based on their initial submissions and were invited to participate in the event being held at Goa and showcase their collection on the ramp on 4th Feb. 2011. It was a team of 10 students which included designers, models, backstage help and choreographer.

When fashion has become an integral part of Indian social and business class, IGNOU has pledged to well train fashion merchandise, marketing executives, textile designer, costume designer, stylist and other apparel design positions. \\ Author

Urshla Kant Assistant Professor, School of Vocational Education and Training, Indira Gandhi National Open University