The Higher Education Review

JD Institute of Fashion Technology, a name that resembles excellence and quality in the field of design, holds the pride of being one of the oldest institutes of art and design in the country. Instituted by Chandrakant Dalal (President) and RC Dalal (Executive Director and Co-Founder of Indian Film Festival Worldwide) in 1988 in the city of dreams, Mumbai, the institute today is satiating the thrust of the creative souls through a comprehensive design education. Taking forward and executing the dream of their father of creating a powerful student body with exceptional skills to make their imagination come alive, now the institute is achieving newer heights, under the supervision of Nealesh Dalal and Yogesh Dalal, the sons of Chandraakant Dalal.

As the educational wing of JD Educational Trust, JD Institute of Fashion Technology has already brought a revolution in the arena of design education by enabling the young generation to embrace a culture of lifelong creativity and innovative learning. "At JD, students are not just groomed to excel in a particular design sector, rather are prepared to gain gamut of hands-on experience, which will help them to evolve as a horse of long run," says Sandra Sequeira Para, Director- South, JD Institute of Fashion Technology. Having 36 learning centers and several graduated batches of successful designers and artists since the establishment; the institute has put itself in the global map of design education.

Sandra proudly says, "Bangalore boasts of having the youngest startup system along with a section of the student population who are filled with passion to innovate and create. Our Bangalore center, over the years, has generated a number of personalities who can be found doing wonders in the design industry today". The interior design department of the JD's Bangalore center is one of the most preferred destinations amongst the aspiring designers, where they are provided the opportunity to pursue Undergraduate, Diploma and

PG Diploma in Interior Designing. "We feel glad to inform that we are the only Interior Institute in South India to be associated with Adobe and getting trained under ACTA," pinpoints Sandra. Hosting students from every corner of the country, the institute makes sure to facilitate them with adequate and state-of-the-art facilities such as CAD lab that is equipped with latest software, library consisting of entire Interior Design Related books and magazines, high-speed internet and many more.

Obtain Creative Freedom
Being in the industry for around three decades now, the institute enjoys quite a strong rapport with the renowned industry professionals and design firms. Owing to this, the students of JD are bestowed with ample industry exposure, where they are enabled to earn firsthand experience by working in the industry during their course tenure. "We educate our students going beyond the four walls of classroom. They are empowered to hold their own portfolios and the scope to showcase their works front of influential personalities," opines Sandra. The faculty members of the institute who are highly qualified and experienced deliver the best possible training to the future interior designers. They come from various design background, architecture, interior design and some are Artists.

"We also welcome visiting faculties and industry experts on a regular basis for conducting various talks on latest technologies. It is strongly kept in mind that our students should stay updated with the knowledge of contemporary happenings in the industry," states Sandra. With an industry-based and holistic syllabus, the students are nurtured to attain the skill of presenting themselves confidently in front of the design world. Sandra adds, "Right from the first to last module, we let our students undergo outdoor sketching, teach using case studies and workshops coupled with site visits so that later they can add these credentials in their portfolios". The institute also conducts JDADA - JD Annual Design Awards, a yearly display of Talent in exhibition form where the students display their ideas, creations, solution in the form of products and spaces.

Expressing her gratitude towards the institute, Sanah Shafiq who is currently working at Stories Design Studio, says, "When it came to pursuing interior designing, I chose to learn from the best. At JD, I rece-

-ived everything which I required to achieve my dreams- from making portfolios to attending jury's, from creating 3D models to executing projects and now being able to lead designs of dozens of homes". Along with national collaborations like Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID) and Association of Designer in India (ADI), the institute also prides on numerous partnerships with internationally acclaimed prestigious bodies and associations like Cumulus, Indo Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Indo French chamber of commerce and Industry, the council of EU chambers of business in India, and the list hardly gets an end.

The students who chose to study at JD are encouraged to develop and lead the creative output and guidance on high-end space development projects, prepare presentation and lead kick-off meetings with guidance from the Design Director, delivering and producing high standard detailed technical drawings and many more. The institute also assists the students in undergoing internships and getting placed in organizations like Nolte and Livspace, which is monitored by the dedicated Placement Cell. "We have our own exclusive online job portal- 'Creative Career', consisting of JD students, JD alumni, organizations and recruiters to acknowledge direct recruitment and job opportunities for our students," mentions Sandra. Promising to keep gifting industry-ready professionals to the global design industry and collaborating with other elite organizations, JD in future is all set to emerge as one of the Best Institute of Design and Art in the World.

Sandra Sequeira Para, Director-South
Sandra holds a Master degree in Social Work (Medical and Psychiatric, Family and Child Welfare and Counseling) from School of Social Work, Roshinilaya and a Diploma in Public Communication and Fund Raising from Murray Culshaw Consulting. With an experience of 5 years in Dalit Microfinance Federations and 2 years for National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, she has been instrumental in giving new dimension to societal responsibilities based on humanitarian grounds. She has significantly contributed to art and design education system in terms of management and marketing for the last 10 years.