‘it is important to understand the business behind the design’
The importance of education to me has been brought in to my life by a couple of incidents that took place over two decades ago, when I was a young student. I had the opportunity of meeting an individual, who partly helped me sustain a world class education in New York, some 25 years ago. His support with a condition to help others garner quality education in the future, led me to conceive setting up a design college some years ago. It has taken some time but I started this journey by creating products people liked and then setting up a brand, with culture as its core.
My father Shri Swaroop Singh too had a very strong influence in awakening my sense of moral responsibility of by “giving back”. Education to me is the best gift one can give an aspiring young mind.
The thought behind the Gurukul School of Design (GSD) is to bring about a change in the way of teaching—a more rooted and practical approach to design. What I realized is the present curriculum only focus on developing the skills of design. I believe, it is important to understand the business behind the design, in other words and education must span across the business acumen, the ability to market your idea and most importantly be able to set up a start-up soon after graduating. Making students into entrepreneurs and brand savvy brand marketers through a unique program is what we will be emphasizing at GSD. created will require huge talent in the future and we need to be prepared to optimally leverage this design revolution.Yes, there are fashion institutes in India however, I will talk specifically of what we are about to execute at GSD. At GSD, as I mentioned earlier, the aim is to not just create a designer but a successful brand. The deeply rooted Indian Gurukul way of learning juxtaposed with new global commercial wisdom, will be the key differentiator and disruptor for Gurukul School of Design. GSD will teach the value of Indian culture through its interpretation of the Gurukul way of life and will impart specialized knowledge to students to become entrepreneurs, as soon as they graduate. The institute will build a “valuable” brand via modern communication skills, emphasize the business hemisphere so that design students can read ‘balance sheets’ and more importantly value the immense knowledge of our heritage and the rich resources.A special curriculum has been designed meticulously by myself along with international and local experts. The program stresses on deeper maturity of design, the ability to visualize and market a creative idea with modern communication tools, the business acumen behind the idea via the Gurukul way of life.
The courses will span over four years, taking the students through a journey which will introduce them to a volley of unique & short courses. These design hacks will strengthen their foundation of design and skill sets which will come very handy later in their lives. It is my understanding that the fashion landscape is evolving rapidly, therefore it is imperative for students to be agile, knowledgeable, and pragmatic and have the intuitive ability to take a U-turn if or when necessary, negotiate vigorously, adapt to a changing situation without hesitation and be able to communicate their creative vision clearly, in the noisy business of fashion. Jaipur, will give students immediate access to handicrafts, endless textiles & rare techniques, which makes this region a global cultural hub. The hustle and bustle of a large city which is always a distraction, will be replaced by the serene and calmness of the Gurukul methodology. The aim is to provide a new way of “thinking design” and provide a sound and a holistic education. This will be imparted by a very specialized and select team of faculty sourced from across the globe, their ability to understand the Gurukul methodology is astounding and the enthusiasm very rewarding. We will absorb some of the students in our company based on their overall merit and they will be on contract to work on live assignments. The GSD programme is a single course that covers all the elements of design, sharpens your abilities in brand communication and in the business of fashion, which helps the student set up their own brand and company.