The Higher Education Review

Witnessing the glamour quotient and numerous other perks attached with the fashion industry, today a number of Indian students show an inclination towards pursuing a fashion course from different fashion institutes. Fashion designers are literally mushrooming in the country, making it tough for finding a dignified position for each one of them in this highly creative and competitive industry. In this scenario, what apparently helps a designer set apart from the crowd are a good portfolio with lots of creative works instilled in it and sound networking with the global designers. Notably, based in Germany, the state-approved Fashion Design Institut (FDI) promises to provide both to its students- excellent networking and a well-equipped portfolio. Established in 2008 by the graduate fashion designer and historian Inna Thomas and her husband, FDI owing to its unmatched offerings to the fashion aspirants, has been always a desirable platform among the international student community for earning an education in the field of design.

The excellence that the institute has been maintaining since its inception, can be well validated by the appreciations it has gathered from numerous stakeholders of design education including being recognized as the only German fashion school among the top 50 schools in the world since 2016 at Business of Fashion (BOF), CEO World and Forbes Magazine (USA). Given FDI's outstanding quality of the lecturers, extensive education, quality of the graduates produced and so on, the institute have created a niche for itself in the design sphere. Students who decide to study at FDI are acknowledged to

choose their desired course from a wide array of programmes i.e. International Fashion Designer, International Fashion Journalist & Stylist, Fashion Marketing / Management, B.A. Fashion Design, B.A. Fashion Journalism & Styling, B.A. Fashion Marketing / Management, Master courses in Fashion Design, PR & Styling and Fashion Marketing.

Backed by a qualified and experienced team of teaching staff who have previously worked at a range of leading companies including Hermès, Vetements, Acne, and Central Saint Martins, the institute vouches to abide the concept of 'learning through independent development'. This means learning through research tasks, which require developing ideas and projects based on real-life situations with real-life critique regarding the expectations and current needs of the fashion industry. These several factors bring a good proportion of international students to FDI with an assurance of getting the route to right career track. The institute besides focusing on rendering a comprehensive creative education also puts efforts in giving priority to students' personal and professional advancement. The students at FDI are encouraged to work on their personal aesthetic and individual creative direction, along-side developing an awareness of the realities of the job market.

"Known as one of the most innovative but simultaneously commercial fashion schools in the world, FDI endows its students with the key to innumerable opportunities"

A Holistic Way to Grow
Known as one of the most innovative but simultaneously commercial fashion schools in the world, FDI endows its students with the key to innumerable opportunities. Every fashion enthusiasts' dreams of practically working in the field and gain experience before entering the world of fashion. And FDI always takes notes of this by enabling its students to work backstage at the world fashion weeks while letting chosen students present

their collections during the fashion week in Paris. The FDI students also are represented in renowned competitions every year and attend tradeshows. The students are not only guided by the in-house faculty members, but FDI also invites guest lecturers such as Santo Versace, the head of the Haute Couture Atelier of Chanel and so on, regularly to the campus for sharing important insights and useful insider knowledge with the tomorrow' fashion designers. Further, for exposing the students to real-world situations in the fashion industry, FDI motivates them to undergo the internship programme with top-notch firms.

The institute always strives to develop an artistic atmosphere where creative minds can create unique styles. In an attempt to make students work towards their respective portfolios, the institute offers them with many projects that are supported by esteemed fashion houses such as Swarovski, Vogue and Michael Michalsky, to name a few. FDI is a perfect hub where top-notch personalities from the fashion world come under one roof to generate the next-gen leaders of the fashion industry. From getting the scope of coming up with their own collection to publish their own fashion magazine, FDI students are facilitated with the best of both worlds.

FDI believes that it is the ideal fashion family for all fashion lovers, the international students at FDI premise never feel left out. Rather each international student is welcomed to become a part of the big and diversified fashion community at FDI and is boosted to come forward with their out-of-the-box
fashion ideas. Considering that fashion is global and priding on strong international relationships, FDI ensures it's students-both national and international, to receive an educational experience that does not only involves learning but also indulges lots of fun whilst common love for fashion, imagination and the desire to develop.