Arvind Zarapkar offers tips to aspiring fashion designers at a seminar. Picture by Srinivas

Jamshedpur, May 2: “One should be able to give concrete shape to the creative ideas,” said Arvind K. Zarapkar, the famous fashion designer and the principal of Zarapkar Tailoring College in Mumbai.

Zarapkar was in town to conduct a 10-day workshop for aspiring fashion designers at “Tangible Creations”, a creative programme organised by the International Institute of Fashion Technology (IIFT) on the institute premises.

“My attempt is to help learners get an in-depth knowledge about giving their ideas a perfect shape. Often we see a massive mismatch in concept due to lack of communication between pattern-makers and designers,” said Zarapkar during his maiden visit to the steel city. Having carved a niche in the world of creativity, the expert garment designer gave hands-on training to 25 budding designers. “Even simple fabrics can change a look completely,” said Zarapkar, sharing his experience with a student.

Open to all budding fashion designers, the workshop that began yesterday has brought together aspirants from Dhanbad and Ranchi.

“Garment production and designing are two different aspects of the trade. Each requires a lot of studies ,” said Zarapkar, who has been appointed the coordinator of the post-graduate course in fashion designing at the Maharashtra Institute of Technology in Pune. A designer with a diploma in garment designing from the Master College, US, Zarapkar was a member of the board of vocational examinations and the moderator at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India.

Admitting the scarcity of trained faculty in fashion designing, Zarapkar said he is happy to train such hardworking and laborious students at the workshop.

“The students are eager to learn the basics. One can’t expect such extraordinary response from a comparatively small town,” Zarapkar added.