Campus Buzz
Pearl Academy of fashion has plenty of surprises in store for its student community
According to a recent survey by the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India, the apparel market in the country is set to grow at an annual rate of 13 to 15 per cent. At present India’s apparel market is estimated to be worth around $ 50 billion and is expected to cross the $ 125 billion mark by 2020. It’s little wonder then that young talent in the fashion industry, many of them students of Pearl Academy, have much to be happy about.
Established in 1993, Pearl Academy opened its first campus in Okhla in south Delhi. It later moved to a bigger and more modern campus in Naraina, west Delhi. Today Pearl operates from four state- ofthe- art campuses across India. Apart from Delhi, the campuses are located in Noida, Chennai and Jaipur.
“I love the ambience and creativity with which these campus have been planned. The quality of the faculty here only enhances the learning experience as they are very encouraging and open to feedback,” says Nupur Gupta, a student pursuing fashion design at Pearl Academy’s Noida campus. Echoing her, Angad, an interior product design student says, “Much like my personality, my college campus is creative and colourful. I love how it looks nothing like other colleges which are mundane.” In 1995, Pearl Academy teamed up with the Nottingham Trent University, which then became the accreditation body, for most of the under- graduate and post- graduate courses at the academy.
As the Indian fashion industry grows by leaps and bounds every year Sharad Mehra, director of Pearl Academy, feels that there is a need for not
just gifted designers but designers who also understand fashion marketing and branding. “Armed with contemporary skills, designers today should not only be able to interpret the needs and tastes of the target consumer but also design strategies for the various seasons for greater impact. Fashion is a sunrise industry in India and there is a growing need for professionals with the relevant skillsets to meet market demand,” says Mehra. To meet these needs, Pearl Academy has introduced a number of new courses over the year such as luxury brand management, brand and advertising management and visual merchandising among others. It is also mandatory for under- graduate students of fashion design to learn an international language as part of their curriculum. This, the academy, believes is necessary because fashion today is a highly globalised industry.
Students who’ve chosen to study at Pearl Academy not only believe that the institute provides them with the right skill- sets but also help them further their careers as Pearl Academy has now firmly established itself as a name in fashion.
“Many of the faculty members at Pearl Academy are known to work with renowned companies. Their affiliations with the who’s- who of the fashion industry is beneficial to us in many ways,” says Paramjeet Kaur, a fashion media make- up student. “I was very clear about deciding to study here since students who graduate from Pearl Academy are known for their technological expertise in addition to being extremely creative,” adds Kaur.
With excellent infrastructure in place, experienced faculty always at hand and enough industry exposure to keep them on their toes throughout their course, students at Pearl Academy seem to have little to complain about. The academy’s extensive tie- ups with international institutes ensure about 200 students participate in reciprocal exchanges, international conferences, study tours and summer school programmes each year.
“Internships are a compulsory part of the rigorous term followed at Pearl Academy. Our students often have the chance to intern with well- known names in the industry such as designers like Tarun Tahiliani, Muzaffar and Meera Ali, Louis Vuitton and Cavalli besides brands such as United Colours of Benetton and Wills Lifestyle,” explains Mehra.
Apart from internships, students here are also exposed to a wide variety of extra- curricular activities which helps boost confidence levels as well as encourage networking. “I recently participated in a fashion show organised by Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi where we handled the make up for about 24 models. It was a good learning experience to work back stage,” says Kaur. Gupta and another student Darshana Jain were a part of the team that participated in a competition organised by Air France in collaboration with Manish Arora. They were required to post a design which was inspired by his designs and now stand a chance to win two return tickets to Paris along with passes to a Manish Arora show. With its many academic and professional partnerships, Pearl Academy sure knows how to put its best fashion foot forward.