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5 Best Fashion Designing Colleges In India 2023

 

By Daniel Asikpo Aug 07, 2023

 

India continues to make waves in the fashion industry and it has attracted many fashion enthusiasts.

 

 

The question remains, where Can one learn professional fashion in India? In this article, we are looking at the top 5 most trusted and reliable fashion colleges in India.

 

Fashion is ever-evolving and influenced by various factors, such as cultural heritage, societal norms, economic conditions, media, and the creative ideas of designers. Meeting up with current trends is needed to stay afloat just as fashion itself could be referred to a prevailing style or trend in clothing which sums up appearance popular at a particular time.  

 

Worry no more, I have made up a list which you can carefully handpick the college of your choice that will help you in accomplishing your fashion career in India. The list is categorized according to best rank.

 

1. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) New Delhi 

 

This is a public institute that was established in 1986 and has always been the top-ranked in India by national agencies.

 

The institute initially started with only one program of fashion design in its first session. NIFT in New Delhi is a prestigious fashion institute that offers various undergraduate and postgraduate programs in fashion design, technology, management, and other related fields. 

 

It is renowned for its contribution to the fashion industry and for nurturing creative talent in India. This institute was ranked first by Outlook in 2020 and also by India Today in 2022.

 

There are courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. 7 courses (fashion communication, textile design, fashion design, accessory design, knitwear design, leather design and apparel production) are offered at the UG level and 3 (M.Des, MFM and Master of Fashion ) are offered at the PG level making a sum total of 10 NIFT Delhi courses. 

 

The course duration of NIFT Delhi PG courses is two years whereas the UG programmes have a course duration of 4 years. Big clothing brands come here to recruit quality staff.

 

Bonus tip: As one of their ways to provide financial assistance to students, NIFT Delhi offers scholarships that can be availed by the students if they adhere to the scholarship policies and eligibility criteria.

 

2. NIFT Mumbai

 

Renowned for its high-quality education and contribution to the fashion industry in India. NIFT Mumbai is another public institute which was established in 1995 as the “Fashion Capital of India”. It is one of the 16 National Institute of Fashion Technology in India.

 

The institute covers a large portion of land spreading across 10 acres with the latest and world-class facilities being inclusive. It was ranked first by Outlook as the best Fashion college in India in 2018. Also in 2019, it was ranked 2nd for Fashion Design by India Today. 

 

It is equipped with facilities such as high-quality lecture rooms, design studios (a workplace for designing and developing new products on campus consisting of modern labs), Canteen/mess, Transportation, a fitness centre, IT savvy Education (high-class computer centre with the latest technology). NIFT Mumbai offers a total of 23 Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses in the design stream.

 

NIFT Mumbai graduates are sought after by top clothing companies and brands which come to the institute to recruit staff. Yes, they too do give scholarships to meritable students.

 

3. NIFT Bangalore

 

Third on our list and still a public institute is NIFT Bangalore which was established under the Ministry of Textiles in 1986. 

 

It is one of the premier fashion institutes in the country, offering various undergraduate and postgraduate programs in design, management, and technology related to the fashion industry. 

 

It was ranked the best fashion school in the world in 2019, the 10th best college in fashion by India Today in 2017, and also ninth in the world as of 2021. NIFT Bangalore offers four years of Bachelor Programs, two years of Master Programs, certificate courses, and doctoral programs. They offer a total of 21 courses across two streams. 

 

It is an autonomous institution which has collaborated with various international universities, including Saxion University-Netherlands, Fashion Institute of Technology-New York, Queensland University of Technology-New Zealand and AMFI-Amsterdam. There is a student exchange programme which allows students from STC, France and ENSAIT to visit the campus on a regular basis.

 

Their graduates are sought after in the fashion industry with recruiters from Max, H & M, Nalli, Amore magazine, Decathlon, Incredible Leather, Bata India, Blackberrys, P & G Enterprises, Go Colours, Raniwala Jewellers, Fabric Monde and many others. 

 

NIFT Bangalore offers a mean-based and merit-cum-means scholarship. They show concern for meritorious students, especially those belonging to the weaker sections of society. 

 

4. NIFT Chennai

 

Taking the fourth position in the 2023 ranking is NIFT Chennai. Established in 1986 as a public institute, NIFT Chennai is one of the campuses of NIFT, a premier fashion institute in India that offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in various disciplines of design, fashion, and technology. 

 

The institute plays a crucial role in nurturing talent and shaping the future of the fashion and design industry in the country. Students get opportunities to develop their creative skills, learn about the fashion industry, and gain practical experience through various projects and internships. 

 

It has several awards to boast of; ranked 4th for fashion design by India Today in 2019,  4th for Fashion Technology by The Week in 2019, 3rd for fashion design by India Today in 2020 and 3rd for fashion technology by The Week in 2020.

 

NIFT offers a four-year bachelor's degree in B.Des, B.FTech, and two-year Master Programs in M.F.M. and M.FTech. There are also diploma and certificate courses in fashion management and technology. They offer up to 24 courses. 

 

Renowned companies do visit the NIFT Chennai campus for hiring purposes. Some include; Lopez Designs, Pantaloon, Shopper’s Stop, marks & Spencers, Benetton, Lifetsyle, Liberty, Freelook, Marie Claire, Images, Times of India, Asian Age, Couture Asia, Femina, FDCI, NDTV, Times Now, Headlines Today, Perfect Relations, Wizcraft, Ogilvy & Mather, Lintas, Madura Garments, Encompass Events, Vogue, Creative Crest, JWT, Christian Dior, MTV and many others. 

 

Yes, they also offer scholarships to deserving students provided the needed criteria are met.

 

5. Ajeenkya DY Patil University, Pune

 

The last on our list and the only private institute meeting the list is ADYPU. Founded in the year 2015 under the Maharashtra Government Act of 2015. 

 

It is a private University located in Lohegaon, Pune, Maharashtra, India and belongs to the DY Patil group, a network of educational institutions in India. Dr Ajeenkya DY Patil is the current President of the institute. It has accreditation from UGC, AICTE and BCI.

 

The university consists of nine schools; the School of Management, the School of information technology, the School of Design, the School of hotel management, the school of engineering, the school of film and media, the School of liberal arts, the School of law, and the DY Patil school of architecture. 

 

Their fashion department is designed to provide quality education and practical skills to students interested in the fashion industry to learn and pursue a career at a professional level.

 

According to adypu.edu.in "ADYPU is committed to promoting academic excellence and withal support students with the ambition of learning and the motivation for success. Through scholarship programs, the University aims to encourage students from various financial and socio-cultural backgrounds to further their education and achieve their goals. The University offers an array of scholarships and need-based financial succour. " Big brands do visit also to select students for placement.

 

There you have it, handpicked to suit your desire. If you are keen on the fashion industry, I will advise you to wait no further.