Are you passionate about fashion and style? Do you have an eye for what looks good on people, and can you spot the latest fashion trends? If so, then a career as a fashion consultant might be the perfect fit for you. The fashion industry is constantly evolving and dynamic, attracting many creative individuals passionate about designing and creating fashion. Therefore, a fashion consultant has one of the most exciting careers in the fashion industry. In this article, we will explore the career of a fashion consultant and how the Apparel, Made-Ups, and Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council (AMHSSC) plays a vital role in training individuals for this career.

What is a Fashion Consultant?

A fashion consultant works with clients to create personalized fashion and style solutions that suit their needs and preferences. A fashion consultant’s role is to help clients achieve their desired look and feel confident and comfortable in their clothes. It may involve everything from creating a wardrobe plan to suggesting outfits and accessories, offering style advice, and even accompanying clients on shopping trips.

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Fashion consultants can work with individual clients or corporations in various settings, such as retail stores, fashion houses, and design firms, or even start their own consulting business. As a fashion consultant, you can also specialize in a specific area, such as personal styling, bridal styling, or editorial styling.

How can AMHSSC Courses help you become a Fashion Consultant?

The Apparel, Made-Ups, and Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council (AMHSSC) is a government-backed organization responsible for identifying and developing various skill-based courses for individuals who aspire to build a career in Apparel, fashion, and home furnishing sectors. In addition, AMHSSC offers multiple courses, such as Fashion Designer, Assistant Fashion Designer etc., for individuals interested in pursuing a career as a fashion consultant.

The courses offered by the AMHSSC are designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the subject, including the fashion industry, fashion design, fabrics, pattern making, garment manufacturing, and more. These courses also provide practical training and internships to students, which helps them gain hands-on experience in the industry.

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Moreover, these courses allow students to work with established designers, manufacturers, and other industry professionals, which helps them develop their networks and gain insights into the workings of the industry. By completing these courses, individuals can pursue various career opportunities in the fashion industry and become successful fashion consultants.

Education and Skills

While a degree in fashion design or fashion merchandising can be helpful, it’s not necessary to become a fashion consultant. However, having a strong understanding of fashion and style is essential. It would help if you had a keen eye for fashion and trends and an understanding of what works for different body types and styles. Consider taking on internships or apprenticeships to gain hands-on experience and learn from seasoned professionals in the industry.

It’s also essential to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. As a fashion consultant, you will work closely with clients, so communicating effectively and building relationships are critical. You should also have strong organizational and time-management skills, as you will likely work simultaneously with multiple clients and projects.

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Career opportunities

As a fashion consultant, you can work in a variety of settings, including:

Personal styling: You can work with individual clients to help them create a unique and personalized style that reflects their personality and lifestyle.

Wardrobe management: You can help clients organize their closets, curate their wardrobes, and create outfits for different occasions.

Event planning: You can help businesses and individuals plan fashion-related events, such as fashion shows, product launches, or photo shoots.

Retail merchandising: You can work with fashion retailers to create visually appealing displays, select merchandise, and improve the customer shopping experience.

Depending on your specialization, you can work as an independent consultant, a freelance contractor, or a full-time employee. You can also work with various clients, including individuals, businesses, non-profits, and other organizations.

Also Read: Top Factors to Select a Worthy Design College

Starting Your Business

Many fashion consultants start their businesses by working with friends and family members, building their portfolios, and expanding their client base through word-of-mouth referrals. However, you must develop a marketing strategy and build a strong online presence to take your business to the next level. Creating a website, building a social media presence, and developing a marketing plan can help you reach a wider audience and attract more clients. Consider offering free consultations or partnering with local businesses to showcase your services.

Income Potential for a Skilled Fashion Consultant

The income potential of a Fashion Consultant in India can vary depending on many factors, such as your experience, expertise, location, and the nature of your work (job or business). However, with the right skills, knowledge, and a good network, you can earn a substantial income as a Fashion Consultant in a job or your own business. On an assignment or position, on average, a Fashion Consultant in India can earn between INR 2.5 lakhs to INR 6 lakhs per annum. However, experienced and specialized fashion consultants can earn much higher salaries, ranging from INR 10 lakhs to INR 20 lakhs per annum or more.

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As a business owner, you can earn money by offering fashion consultation services to clients and charging a fee. However, your income potential as a Fashion Consultant business owner will depend on the types of clients you cater to, the location of your business, and the quality of your work. On average, a Fashion Consultant business can earn between INR 5 lakhs and INR 25 lakhs per annum or more, depending on the size of the business and the demand for its services.

The post How to Build a Successful Career as a Fashion Consultant appeared first on IIRF.

Fashion Trend Forecasting – There is hardly anyone who doesn’t have interest in the fashion world. Everyone is eager to know about the latest fashion trends going on in the market. The glamour of the fashion industry is such that it attracts many youth to pursue a career in this field. If we talk about career options in the field of fashion, then most of the youth see their career as a fashion designer or fashion merchandiser. But with time, the fashion field has become highly competitive. Now, there are many career options for youth in the fashion industry, one of them is Fashion Forecasting. If you love to stay updated with the latest fashion trends and have a vision for style, then fashion forecasting is definitely a better career option for you!

In this article, let’s understand what fashion forecasting is what skills are required to become a fashion forecaster?

What is Fashion Forecasting?

Fashion Forecasting is the global prediction of upcoming trends in the fashion world. It is the process of analyzing and making predictions of the future trends on the basis of past and present data. It basically predicts the mood, behavior and buying habits of the consumer on the basis of color, fabrics, textures, accessories, graphics, and foot wear.

You simply can’t guess what’s going to be popular. Nothing is fixed here. This field requires a lot of knowledge and a large amount of research work. All the equations of fashion change overnight. The cut and color change according to the season, but now it seems that the style and material etc. also change before coming into the trend, so the challenges of this work are also unique. In such a situation, first of all, it is necessary to understand the difference between a fashion forecaster and a fashion designer?

Difference between Fashion Forecasting and Fashion Designing –

Fashion forecaster is the sequel of fashion designing. In fashion designing, the designer is responsible for turning an idea into a design. He creates specific look of garments that include its shape, colour, fabric, trimmings, and other essential aspects. The role of fashion forecaster is to identify which silhouettes colours, textures, fabrics, graphics, prints, footwear, accessories, etc. will be the upcoming trends on the runway and in retail outlets from season to season.

Fashion experts and fashion observers around the world keep visiting people and constantly research upon their mood and interest. They have to update on the future trends related to various aspects of the fashion industry such as ready-to-wear, hate couture and street wear labels. Other than the fashion industry, trend forecasting is also used in other areas of businesses like automobile, food and beverages, literature and home furnishing. 

Educational Qualification –

It’s always preferable for the candidate to be 12^th pass if he/she wants to pursue a bachelor’s degree course in fashion forecasting. Likewise, graduation is must to pursue post-graduation in this field. Looking at the great future prospects and career opportunities in this field, Apparel Made-Ups and Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council (AMHSSC) formed under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is offering a special online certificate course to the youth on Fashion Forecasting. In this course, industry experts impart deep knowledge to the youth about various aspects of trend and fashion forecasting analysis. 

Technical Knowledge is equally important –

It’s not enough just to be creative to make a career in the field of fashion forecasting. But it is also very important to be aware of the technology used in this field. For example, in the case of designing apparel, you should have knowledge of fabric weaving techniques, fabric mixing techniques, dyeing techniques, stitching techniques etc. Similarly, knowledge of various technologies is also vital for foot-ware designing, accessory designing and jewellery designing.

A Standalone Career –

Fashion forecasting is no longer dependent on other factors in the fashion sector. It has now become a standalone career. Experts such as Lidewij Edelkoort, a Dutch trend forecaster have established fashion forecasting as an important career field. Many Indian fashion fore-caster are also making their mark in the international fashion industry. National-International buyers and various brands keep a close eye on fashion forecasts. There are also immense possibilities of earning in this field. Initially, a fashion forecaster can gain experience by working in any fashion house and earn up to Rs. 20,000. Later, if he develops the ability to forecast the forthcoming fashion trends and can easily spot what’s hot and what’s not, he can earn up to Rs. 1 lakh.

Future Prospects in this field –

According to a study, the fashion retail market which is worth Rs. 2,97,091 Cr, will grow at a promising CAGR of 10 per cent to reach Rs. 7,48,398 Cr by 2026. The Indian fashion industry is making its presence felt in the International fashion industry with its out-of-the-box imagination and creativity. The fashion industry has been focusing solely on profitability and quality for the last thirty years. The fashion companies are promoting their brand by hiring young designers and organizing fashion shows to add a modern touch. In such a situation, the youth will have a lot of work opportunities in the emerging field of Fashion Forecasting.

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