“Creativity is inculcated in us”
Encouraged to come out of comfort zone, students of fashion design won’t settle for mediocre learning
The most common perception about National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) is that it is a fashion school where students learn how to make clothes. That it is not just that, but an institute where they are pushed to excel, became clear to me when I attended the open house session at NIFT, Delhi, before sitting for my entrance examination. The open house which takes place from November to mid-January every year, much before the admission process starts, is when students who want to apply to the college get to interact with the faculty, to clear their doubts and misconceptions, and know more about fashion design as a career choice. It was after attending the session that I decided to opt for fashion communication design as specialisation for my four-year bachelor of design course. I realised that I like to put together looks but not making clothes, and fashion communication design can teach me how to do that. It is all about fashion photography, visual merchandising, filmmaking, styling, and lot more. During four years, we are taught practically everything; from basic sketching and creative thinking skills, visualisation and representative drawing to elements of design in detail, introduction to world art and culture, and familiarisation with art and craft. Getting used to challenging assignments as part of the course is what I remember vividly, so learning how to make paper cuts inspired by a rainbow but in white colour and how to draw 33 different forms of happiness through dots are instances where we stu- dents are forced to get creative in the classroom. A sense of art and craft is ingrained in us as we are sent to the interiors of the country to interact with craftsmen to work on projects. NIFT inculcates values in us, teaches us to respect people as individuals. We get to experience first-hand what goes in the backend to put together a look, to shoot a portrait, and to make an outfit; it is lot of hard work, and the institute prepares us for that and the world outside.