In Bangladesh, the decision to study Fashion Design may require careful consideration. Unlike any of the sciences or business, Fashion Design appears too vague – often with no real career path to be seen.

The reality of the situation is a bit more complex, however, as Fashion Design has over the years seen some evolution in tandem with the growth of profits raked in by the garments industry. It may yet struggle to find proper footing in Bangladesh, but with growing interest and more and more universities providing programmes that allow students to explore the field at a deeper level, there may be hope of things taking a positive turn.

Fashion as a concept is storied and diverse, and yet misconceptions seem to surround it. Md Moniruzzaman, Assistant Professor at BGMEA University of Fashion & Technology (BUFT) spoke at length about the experience students may expect when getting into this field.

"We don't expect students starting off with Fashion Design & Technology to be expert artists, since that is something they will have to learn as part of their coursework. It is a vast field and students can expect learning about the concept behind fashion, its history, and how the industry functions alongside all the modern technology such as digital design tools that are being used in this field. Learning is carried out in a variety of ways and is very multidisciplinary as a major to pursue."

Photo: Orchid Chakma

Later on, Md Moniruzzaman went on to speak about the uncertainty regarding studying Fashion Design in Bangladesh. A growing field, as he put it, the world of Fashion Design is still struggling to gain acceptance from a vast majority. The barrier present here is due to many reasons, but those who pursue fashion, seem to do so out of love for the celebration of identity, particularly in a cultural context, through clothing.

Zannatul Ferdous Bithi, who graduated from BUFT in 2019, spoke about her experience regarding this.

"What made me get into the field was the sheer joy I felt in the celebration of identity through clothing. There were all these models I would see, and then there would be the culture of Bangladesh as well. My friends and I had a shared excitement over the variety that fashion allowed us to have in our lives. I wanted to make new designs other people would wear."

Should a student overcome all odds and make the decision to study Fashion Design, there will no doubt be a vast world awaiting discovery. Its multidisciplinary approach promises a deep understanding of fashion trends alongside the competency to serve as the leader in designing new articles of clothing. After all, a fashion designer is expected to use computer-aided design (CAD) software to make 3D models of planned designs before actually executing the plans via industrial-grade machinery.

Khadija Rahman Nijhoom, a 22-year-old student at BUFT, shared their experience, along with the numerous hurdles that come into play when studying Fashion Design.

"Fashion obviously has a cultural and socioeconomic impact on our country, and part of our learning process actually incorporates this into our courses. We've gone through the history of fashion globally to understand where we stand today. Alongside this, we have a new project every semester – which is where things can get very expensive. For students, budgeting to buy materials and equipment can be incredibly difficult. I make use of the university laboratory for most of my work, but that in itself can be quite the hassle."

Fashion Design as a field seems to be riddled with hurdles – the biggest of which is the one that puts off most people from pursuing this in Bangladesh. Indeed, the lack of career options is a problem that cannot be ignored, and many have shared their opinions on it, as well as shedding light on hope for the future.

Photo: Orchid Chakma

Zannatul Ferdous Bithi shared her thoughts, "The thing with pursuing a career in Fashion Design is that our garments industry makes most of its money off of manufacturing based on designs that come from abroad. We rarely get to make designs on our own that get sent abroad. In recent years, there has been a surge in local textile brands that work with designers to make new pieces of apparel, and this has helped the job market for Fashion Design graduates greatly, but there's still a long way to go."

On the note of progress, Md Moniruzzaman added, "Our apparel industry is worth around 45 billion dollars. This is a staggering number beaten only by China. However, our biggest problem is that we can have clothing that is manufactured in Bangladesh, but not designed here. This is a space that needs cultivation. We want to have clothing across the world that says 'Designed in Bangladesh'.  Going forward, that is exactly what we intend to do."

For fashion designers or those aspiring to be one, the journey may be long and arduous in Bangladesh. But with the constant growth of manufacturing, it seems about time for the paradigm around fashion to change to make room for those who find joy in the design process of the clothing that brings joy to so many.