Is Fashion Designing a Right Career Choice for Boys?

Boutique Business

What  do you think, is fashion designing good career choice for boys?

That's right, not only girls are shining in fashion jobs but boys are also doing good as a fashion designer.

Though, at the time of choosing a vocation, most of us find it difficult, but for boys it's a society verses identity issue.

No matter how much people should about gender equality, and how much liberation we give to girls for making their life decisions but it's definitely not very easy for boys to take up this career.  

As soon as they mention an interest in making a career in fashion designing, their families stand to ask many questions -

"What'd you do with all that cutting stitching kinda stuff?"

"Get a real career, a manly profession to gain respect!"

"Do you know how difficult it's for boys? What do you know about fashion?"

"That's not your cup of tea, forget it and focus on something worthwhile."

What you need to know before choosing fashion designing as career option?

Are you confused?

Or fighting a battle in your head?

Or can't decide what to do after 12th or may be the dead end of your current profile.

Take a deep breath and release all your stress. Because we are here to help you. We'll guide you to the sunshine you are aspiring for.

First question that came in my mind while writing on this topic is "why people consider that some career options are only good for girls or some are only for boys? " That’s really a big question.

According to me every single "career option" is good for boys and girls both. Condition applied, they have to see themselves worthy enough.

So that’s the practical way of seeing everything, but the question is still not being answered. Because the mind wants reason WHY?

So I try to cover up all the question and give a reasonable justification to all your whys Or why nots?

What is fashion designing?

Most of the people think fashion designing is only related to stitching and for them that’s end of the definition. But it's not true.

It is art of visualizing a design and much later comes creating a new garment or accessory. It involves skills that range from market research and creativity to sketching and fabric selection, and much more.

What kind of education you need to be a fashion designer?

There can be formal or informal education, training and experience that you gather to be a fashion designer.

You may be born around some creative people who are surrounded by beautiful creations and so you fascinate yourself with creating and designing. This is your inbuilt interest and ability to create.

But even if you belong to the category of people, who visualize themselves and creating but don't really know where and how to start, even then doors haven't closed on you.

You need a degree of fashion designing, it can be bachelors or masters depending on your preference and how far you wish to go.

But having a degree doesn’t mean that you are good to be a designer until you have skills. So work on your skills to be successful.

What jobs are available after fashion designing?

There are plenty of jobs available in this line. You can be a fashion illustrator, pattern master, a stylist, fashion merchandiser, marketing manager etc.

What career prospects can you expect with a fashion degree?

  • Fashion & Luxury Merchandising
  • Brand Management
  • Public Relations
  • Fashion & Luxury Buying
  • Retail / Sales
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • E commerce / Social Media
  • Visual Presentation/Styling

What salary to be expected by a fashion designer

So I can't say that this much is given to you because it's wholly depending on your skills and abilities.

You can get 5000 as a starting salary or may be 20,000.

As I already said it's not fixed plus it varies from company to company.

Start-up / business, as a designer

It gives you an opportunity to establish your own name in the list of great designers. You can launch your own label, or set up your boutique. You are free to choose what works best for you.

So I think you got a vague idea of fashion career.

And I know this is not enough to ascertain success in fashion designing career. So, let me justify all the above with some great examples-

SUCCESS STORIES of fashion designers

MANISH MALHOTRA, SABYASACHI, TARUN TAHILIANI

These are the well-known face of Indian fashion industry and see most amazing thing about all of them which is common is THEY ALL ARE MEN. SO IF THEY MAKE IT WHY WON'T YOU.

No, opportunity comes with a tag of gender preference only thing it asks for is your determination and dedication towards it.

Don’t limit your boy under society norms let them follow their heart and you will be amazed by the result.

Back to the Indian fashion designer lets go deep into their lives from their struggles to standout in a crowed to their success to achieve the name and fame.

Manish Malhotra

Manish Malhotra a well-known Indian fashion designer launched his label in 2005. In 2014, his label marked a turnover of over INR 1 billion.

Now, that’s what we call a perfect combination of HARDWORK AND DEDICATION. We all see his success but very few of us are aware of his struggle.

He started his career as a model, while studying at the Elphinstone College. Failure as a model led him to clothes, costumes and art.

At the age of 25, Manish Malhotra tried his luck in Bollywood by designing costumes for Juhi Chawla for the movie Swarg(1990).

After 5 years of hard work, his gamble paid off and he won a filmfare costume Awards for styling Urmila Matondkar in Rangeela (1995).

May be you are thinking that it’s pretty easy but don’t forget to include his post college years that means it took him 10 years to get successful.

Steady perseverance wins the race!

Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Moving onto the Sabyasachi Mukherjee, he is an inspiration to many young fashion designers all over the world.

He shows us it doesn’t matter whether you are poor, middle class or rich you can have what you want if you are willing to give all you have in you to your goals.

In short hard work always pays off.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee is an Indian fashion designer from Kolkata. Since 1999, he has sold designer merchandise using the label sabyasachi.

He is one of the associate Designer Members of Fashion Design Council of India and the youngest board member of the National Museum of Indian Cinema.

He comes from a middle class Bengali family of Kolkata. His father lost his job when he was just 15 years. But he didn’t gave up on his goal.

Mukherjee wanted to study at NIFT but his parents disagreed, so sabyasachi sold his books to pay for the admission form and passed the exam.

During the summer of 1999, he graduated from the NIFT India. In 2001,

He won the Femina British Council's most outstanding young Designer of India award, which took him to London for an internship with Georgina Von Etzdorf, an eclectic designer based in Salisbury.

After that he never looks back and keeps on moving forward. His achievements are countless and if I mention all of them, you will be amazed.

There are many more Indian male fashion designers who achieved massive success only at the cost of hard work and dedication.

They believed in their dreams and worked to achieve them.

They are so passionate about their work that no one could stop them.

Reading about successful people make us overwhelmed and in one way or another it is kind of good we need that spark in us. Right?

But wait I think you are still thinking about the challenges one( your little boy) can face in establishing his feet in this industry.

Roadblocks that may scare you...

So, you might think fashion term is only related to women but pause, let me correct you. All the big brands like Gucci , Dior, Versace has men as the head or director.

Another thing you might think is, in fashion industry one out of ten men you come across is Gay.

But I don’t think that is a matter of concern it's their personal choice and they have the right to choose. They are in this line simply because of their creativity.

Many people think that fashion career is not promising and you get kicked off any time.

May be that’s the big reason why many of us think it is not suitable for men because they have the responsibility of their family and we are worried about what they do if they didn’t find any job.

So, my answer to this question is no job is promising until you give your best.

The possibility of getting kicked off from Google is same as getting kicked off from fashion jobs. According to me it's totally vain worrying about it.

Most amazing thing, it offers you the opportunity to work from home. You work as a freelancer and get paid according to your skills.

What's better than this if you work in your comfort zone, laying on your sofa and still paid?

In my eyes there is nothing wrong to opt. fashion as career for boys. Everything comes with pros and cons,  no job is ideal until you do the hard work.

And with that, we reach the end of this article and you feel this thing is just for you then I recommend you to go for it. Success comes hand in hand as you start putting your efforts in your work.

And one more thing, don’t let society decide what works for you. You know yourself better than anyone else and know what is best for you. There are a loads of success mantras for the aspiring fashion designers, but none for the self-doubters.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

Ms. Shrishty Sharma pursuing fashion degree (2nd Semester) with Apparel Training & Design Centre (ATDC), Gurgaon.


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