Do you want to learn apparel designing but think getting admission to a designing school is too expensive? Fret not, a designer-entrepreneur in Jamshedpur is now working to make women and girls learn fashion designing so that they have a skill they can earn from.
Nikunj Naredi, 32, a design graduate from NIFT, Gandhinagar, and Loyola School alumnus, has started a company Creative Roots, which is now training women in small batches. The first batch of seven students - homemakers and college girls from in and around Jamshedpur - completed a 10-day course earlier in March. A similar batch started on April 1 at Café Regal in Bistupur.
"I cater to students who want to prepare before applying to designing institutes for professional courses and to those who have the knack for design but can't afford to go, for whichever reason, money or family constraints. My start-up aims to empower women to sell their designs," said Nikunj who has a decade-long experience with top-bracket fashion labels like Best Karma Designs and Moka London.
"Each course is a 30-hour module to be completed in 10 days. It is short and crisp, especially meant for busy housewives and students who cannot spare much time, but who want to actually build their skills," Nikunj said, adding she has kept the fee a reasonable Rs 2,000 per head.
The 10-day designing workshop, Nikunj adds, will not only teach students the concepts of balance, proportion and colours but also skills like stitching, fabric development or embroidery.
How is her workshop different from tailoring courses offered in almost every neighbourhood?
"My USP is offering students exposure to cosmopolitan aesthetics and skills that they can actually use. I train them to create items, from tops to pillow covers, which will actually sell because they are good-looking and functional. Often, people train themselves but end up creating products with less market value. But, my ideal way is to empower and educate them with ideas that work," said the practical designer, who is also the designing mentor for Lifecraft, a social organisation that trains rural women in Kuiani village of Patamda block, East Singhbhum, colourful stoles through hand dyeing.
She added that her company Creative Roots has plans to launch an apparels company where she can absorb some of her own trainees. Creative Roots is also planning six-month certificate courses soon.
Students agreed they learnt useful things. "We designed and stitched bags, pillow covers and tops," said Jyoti Mahto, a student of The Graduate School College for Women who attended the last workshop. "I wasn't lucky enough to go to a design school so I opted for this crash course. My creativity amazed me," she smiled.
