Fashion is a form of self-expression in a specific context of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, makeover, accessories, and hairstyle. People are constantly looking for trendy and unique fashionable clothes to create a variety in their fashion wardrobe. Therefore, there fashion designing has become exclusive as a career now.
To better understand the prospective career in fashion design, this writer talked to Naureen Era and Abir Chowdhury, the owners of Anzara, a famous clothing brand.
Before getting into the career aspects, Naureen Era shared her journey of Anzara to give a proper background.
"Since childhood, I have had a fascination with wearing unique dresses. Interest in fashion ideas inspired me to start a clothing business on the Facebook platform."
"In December 2016, my partner Abir Chowdhury and I started Anzara with only two walls on Banani Road 10. I started initially with my known tailors, who made the dresses for the online business. We got an excellent response just within a month."
Suggestions from a designer
If you are willing to become a famous fashion designer, you need to develop different conceptual ideas and show your creativity in outfits. The more you can bring something new and attractive, the more you will gain success in this sector.
Naureen said, "Customers want to have special clothes for the party. You can add some extra and unique designs. If you design a dupatta, you can give extra stuff on the border to give an exceptional vibe."
"You can represent the Turkish style differently in your designs. New patterns and designs can help a fresher shine quickly in this sector."
She emphasised constant thinking for bringing out unique designs. Keeping in mind the changes of seasons and the customers' comforts is also necessary.
"Your customer should be your priority. As we are living in a developing country, you need to think of reducing the budget for some dresses. Because many customers will demand outfits in a moderate range for wearing on specific occasions," she explained.
Try a combination of different fabrics. High-quality fabrics, patterns, and good service will build trust. Naureen keeps thinking about the outfits and patterns a year before what she would provide her customers. This sharpens her creative thoughts and gives her customers the best designs possible.
"Remain updated about the current trends and demand. Try to bring uniqueness. Because customers are concerned about wearing trendy outfits. They also want variations," Naureen advised.
Educational requirements
Creativity and unique ideas are essential to becoming a good fashion designer. Practical experience helps a lot in this field. To get proper knowledge and skills in this sector, fashion designers complete their graduation, diploma, and courses on fashion designing.
After completing HSC or A-levels, you can study fashion designing-related subjects. It is a four years degree like BSS or BSC. There are many universities now available for studying fashion design in our country.
Naureen shared, "Though I am from a business studies background, I have a piece of good knowledge about studying fashion designing. Shanto-Mariam is quite famous for studying fashion design. I have six fashion designers for my brand, three of them completed their degrees at Shanto-Mariam University." She also praised BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology for a fashion design career.
Some other famous institutions are - Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTex), National Institute of Textile Engineering and Research (NITER), National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Chattogram BGMEA Institute of Fashion & Technology, Shyamoli Textile Engineering College, Pearl Fashion Institute – Bangladesh, Uttara University, McQueen Institute of Fashion Design, etc.
Some of the universities provide diplomas in fashion design. Diplomas or other courses can be done after completing SSC or HSC as per their requirements.
To be a good fashion designer, you need to have proper dedication and interest; educational background in fashion design will make it even better. The most crucial part is creativity which depends on practice and effort.
