New Business Opportunities In Fashion And Design 'Fashion brand managers today are dynamic individuals who understand the vocabulary of creative designers'

World Economic Forum declared that problem-solving skills and creativity are top two skills needed by millennials for workplaces in 2020 AD. Perhaps a few decades ago, things could have been different. But today, with more and more people having access to greater disposable incomes and savings, there is a tectonic shift in the spending habits of people. With the proliferation of people sailing aboard in the fashion and designer space, the ultimate consumer is spoilt for choices. In an evolving environment such as this, design and fashion entrepreneurs are required to take stock and run it like a proper business. This is not just for today — this is also what the "future' looks like.

Being an academician, I know for a fact that not many design schools are catering to this need of nurturing talent with double-edged aptitude — creative sensibilities as well as business acumen. Times today call for realigning syllabus and course structure towards addressing this requirement in the creative domains. Our endeavor, however, is to prepare all our students for their chosen fields and excel in the industry.

Curriculum designed by industry, embedded with educational international exposure, industry master-classes and live industry projects ensure that our young creative minds are industry ready, globally.

Opportunities today lie in the evolving "creative' fields pertaining to image consultancy, make up and photography, content writing, blogging, event conceptualization, merchandising and many more. Here are some emerging trends that are creating ripples-

Fashion Brand Managers

There are enough and more examples of people who are successful in creating a niche for themselves in what are known as "New Age Creative Careers'. Fashion brand managers today are dynamic individuals who understand the vocabulary of creative designers as well as number-driven business heads. The fields of fashion and design are as much about art as they are about science of management. The fashion brand managers have double-edged expertise. On one side they strategize how to manage their brands, while on other hand they influence innovative fashion collections, fashion buying and fashion retailing. They are known for their unique analytic approach and having their own language of expression on a range of topics and ideas.

Content Marketers

Creating content for marketing is also a career in new age business. Words evoke attraction of buyers because the writer understands what the readers want, and makes the marketing plan suitably effective. There are instances where the young generation is innovating family business from manufacturing of jeans to fashion accessories for men, because they detect that gap in the market. With their acumen to understand the product as well as the male fashionista makes them a very successful new age businessmen.

Creating A Niche Product Range

Today, we have organisations like Mango People or Hats Off Accessories, run by young fashion enthusiasts, that do not sell standardized FMCG products like, bottled diet beverages or packaged food items or version-ized smartphones. Each products that you see in these enterprises are "creative' and they appeal to absolutely different kinds of users and buyers. These kinds of businesses need managers, but the style of management expected here is replete with aesthetics and complete understanding of human tastes and preferences.