National Institute of Fashion Technology Review By Shraddha Gendepujari

Being a government-aided institute, NIFT's fees were quite low, and the facilities provided within that fee were unbelievable. I came all the way to Gandhinagar as many of my classmates from my previous college Pearl Academy Noida too came here. Ahmedabad is one of India's largest textile manufacturing cities, and Gandhi Nagar being close to that was an advantage. So, where the wind blew, I came along. At NIFT everything was taken seriously as it wasn't a youngster's thing here because the unicorns of the business were stakeholders in NIFT. They would take the students for internships in their companies, and everything was taught here from designing to manufacturing to sales. I had my reservations with a few of the things that were taught here, but because the art of selling is the main thing in business and no better than Gujarati's to learn from, I would say my decision to come so far paid off.

Fashion today has become a serious thing. At NIFT, many things were taught, and high-end products are what I believe can make money in fashion. It was one of the biggest factors that drove me towards fashion technology. We were asked to pitch our designs for them as per the seasons, which is how the learning was done. We had theory subjects for business because making is one thing and selling is another. Unless and until one learns how to sell, there's no point in producing. How to play on price point or where one can get the best price point were the main topics of learning at NIFT.

I wasn't that highly impressed with the faculty as they were more of conveyors. They would bring in slides and show us stuffs. Their contribution was low as they just guided us and our work was judged by others. Their feedbacks too weren't that great as some of them were good teachers but unaware of the technicalities of the fashion business. Our work and marks were decided by others and not the faculty. I honestly don't have much to say about them as their role was quite limited.

Placement wise, NIFT was quite better because there weren't 100s of companies or big designer names as the Ahmedabad textile industry believes in catering to the masses. Since I was from a high-end apparel stream, few studio houses and renowned designers like Ritu Kumar and Satya Paul have sent their teams to check if they could get some talent. I was always clear that I would never work for anyone, and therefore I kept things simple by not participating in campus placements. Companies like Century Textiles, Aditya Birla Fashion, Future Group, and Arvind Mills were the ones who taught everything to us at the NIFT campus. Also, they were the ones who recruited students from NIFT in masses.

The girl's hostel was amazing, and my name was there on the list, but because my friends missed out, we had to rent an apartment close to the college. In Gandhi Nagar, it is easy to find PGs or Flats as there are specific societies' rules, and if that are followed, no one bothers you. We stayed in the same flat for two years, and nobody troubled us. The hostel is more for the graduate students, so PG students who come here better apply first as getting accommodation at the girl's hostel is tough.

The location of the campus is amazing. The college is in between an IT Park. NIFT campus is more extensive than what most fashion colleges have. There was a mess hall, and at a nominal price, one could take advantage of authentic Gujarati food. The campus cafeteria was simply outstanding as on days when I felt like having some cheat food, the cafeteria gave me enough options. The auditorium of NIFT is bigger and better than Pearl for sure. The seating capacity was of 500-600 students. For those who like playing sport, there's a basketball and a volleyball court. Both are in dire need of some repair work as cement has been coming out of the basketball court. Apart from the hostel, there are also some guest quarters at the campus.

Campus life was not so happening as the city itself is laid back. Even during the annual fest Spectrum, the college campus was nothing close to berserk. I was lucky enough to spare some time at the campus with my seniors. Their experience and knowledge have helped me gain some roads more than anyone else. NIFT is good for studies and will place you too. However, you need that kind of crowd to enjoy great campus life. AT NIFT, the crowd was more serious, and you could see everybody wanting to excel in their careers. Thus, even though a less active campus life, NIFT is still great in all the spectrums other than that.