A fabric and apparel patternmaker develops designs for garments items so that independent elements may be stitched, combined and joined to form a completed article of garments. Patternmakers might operate in the garment industry, where the structures designers create must correspond to certain types of standard specifications before commercial manufacture. Skilled pattern makers are also popular in fashion school, assisting designers in conceptualizing and cutting different material kinds for fitting, aesthetic, and convenience. A patternmaker in a clothes manufacture scenario utilizes template parchment or a better lasting templates resource, such as plastic, to methodically sketch out the template while adhering to any designer documents or guidelines. For new designs, the patternmaker usually has at minimum one prototype to check fit and fabrication. Patternmakers in this job might sometimes be required to produce changes to designs to accommodate for assembling issues or material needs. A patternmaker in a design company often collaborates extensively with the designer professionals.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must possess at least 50% aggregate from a recognized institution in 12th, from any board PUC/CBSE/ICSE/ISC, etc. However, the cut-off margin varies with the selection process of different colleges.
• A Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design/ Fashion Merchandising/ Visual Arts can prove to be advantageous, but it offers a comprehensive overview of all facets involved in Art History, rather than an emphasis on Fashion design or development.
• Should procure a valid score in entrance exams such as NIFT/NID/DAT/CEED/AIEED/UCEED/SOFT, etc. Different colleges offer their own entrance exams if you don’t have a satisfactory score in AIEED or other competitive exams – colleges like NMIMS, Symbiosis International University, XUB, Andhra University, LPU, etc. Every state offers their own entrance exam as well.
• One must acquire a degree/diploma or certification in a recognized establishment to become a Fashion Designer. This is a basic qualification you must require to enroll in this line of work.
• An M.F. Tech in Fashion Design can also prove to be helpful while looking for a higher degree and extensive learning.

Tasks to perform

• Enter specs into technologies to help in template creation and manufacturing.
• Establish the optimum template element arrangement to minimize wastage production, then label cotton appropriately.
• Develop pattern requirements to give stitching and assembling procedures for apparel.
• To create prototypes, transfer newspaper shapes upon plywood designs then slice the blueprints separate sections.
• Sketch the boundaries of the given designs into the cloth and slice it utilising scissors.

Knowledge required

• Media Production – Understanding of media creation, interaction, and distribution strategies and methodologies is required in telecommunications and entertainment.
• Media and Marketing — Familiarity of media creation, engagement, and distribution strategies and methodologies is required for communication systems and multimedia. Printed, auditory, and electronic media are all examples of various ways to inform and amuse.
• Finance and Management — Understanding of corporate governance concepts and procedures, as well as capital industry, finance, and business information monitoring and interpretation.
• Creativity — Generating new concepts, prototypes, and plans for fashion design and creation. Developing modern fashion wear for various events and customer requests.
• Design and Establishment — Recognition of the materials, techniques, and instruments used in building or restoring homes, factories, as well as other structures, such as roads, highways, bridges, etc.

Skills required

• Rational interpretation – Use of rationality and inference to distinguish the positives and disadvantages of creative improvements, assumptions, or responses to situations.
• Influence — Inspiring and persuading people to change their behaviour and support a certain product, brand, or organisation to increase sales.
• Surveillance — Entails keeping track of and evaluating your own, other people's, or organisations' results in order to make changes or take disciplinary measures.
• Strategic Thinking — Evaluating the possible expenses and advantages of various decisions in order to recognise the best one.
• Time Management — Interacting and switching between different tasks and activities without consuming excess time to provide results.

Job roles offered

Once you procure the required qualifications for becoming a Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker, a myriad of options is open to you. There are multiple projects you can undertake throughout this line of work, and there are many other fields you can branch out to as well.

• Assistant Designer: An assistant designer often performs a variety of tasks as part of his or her accompanying position. Assistant designers have reached a critical juncture in their careers. They normally possess a technical degree, but are currently receiving instruction to become a major architect whilst acquiring hands-on abilities from somebody who is currently in this role. Students in several pictorial designing, such as furniture decorating, photography, and clothing, frequently begin their careers as associate designers. Assistant designers often prepare and complete tasks began by a senior designer. An assistant clothing designer, for example, frequently designs and prints down stitching templates while stitching them altogether on a garment model. Even before the tailoring method can begin, the work should be approved by the senior designer. In many situations, the assistant designer will next oversee the work of the dressmakers who will assemble the completed outfits.
• Fashion Supervisor: A Fashion Supervisor's career in the fashion business entails being in charge of other personnel, usually sales staff and potentially other jobs. Fashion supervisors handle management's demands by inspiring, educating, and potentially educating workers. They can also act as a liaison between administration and marketing, helping each party appreciate the interests of another. The Fashion Supervisor's responsibilities include supervising staff, ensuring high quality of customer support, hiring sales associates, and engaging with sales inquiries.
• Fashion Supervisor: A Fashion Supervisor's career in the fashion business entails being in charge of other personnel, usually sales staff and potentially other jobs. Fashion supervisors handle management's demands by inspiring, educating, and potentially educating workers. They can also act as a liaison between administration and marketing, helping each party appreciate the interests of another. The Fashion Supervisor's responsibilities include supervising staff, ensuring high quality of customer support, hiring sales associates, and engaging with sales inquiries.
• Professional Pattern Makers:Professional pattern makers hire skilled pattern makers who collaborate closely with design teams. Template makers may be expected to perform the design from the first pattern into manufacturing, based on the employment contract. Any of the skills searched after by the industry include familiarity of design parameters, the ability to perform repairs, handle fixtures, and experience in Photoshop and Illustrator. A pattern building profession usually entails deep involvement in the fashion business. They can work to develop and build designs for one-of-a-kind garments for mass manufacturing, or they may collaborate together through manufacturers to create personalized patterns.
• Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Operators: CAD operators utilise computer-aided design (CAD) tools to write and create plans that will direct an industry's production of increased quality of commodities. They also create architectural blueprints, particularly for constructing underpinnings and internal arrangements and organizing. Careful level of precision is required in this profession, as is knowledge of all architectural rules and various special site specifications; they are occasionally requested to attend genuine development projects to accurately identify how labor is required and any unique demands or limits. CAD operators usually collaborate directly alongside others' operations as well as extremely skilled and knowledgeable professionals and designers to organize the development of the business framework, products, and resources. They normally operate in an office environment throughout conventional company times and are periodically overseen by senior designers or other certified CAD operators.

Career opportunities

Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers can opt for various fields of work in the companies listed below:

• AND Fashion
• Swarovski
• Adidas
• Allen Solly
• Raymond Ltd.
• Everblue Apparel Ltd.
• Reliance Industries
• Amazon
• Aditya Birla Group
• Van Heusen
• Levi Strauss & Co
• Tommy Hilfiger
• ITC

Colleges offering courses

• Army Institute of Fashion and Design, Bangalore
• Symbiosis Institute of Design, Pune
• Vogue Institute of Art and Design, Bangalore
• National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
• Amity Institute of Fashion Technology, Noida
• Pearl Academy, Delhi
• National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai
• International Institute of Fashion Design, Pune
• Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar
• Mount Carmel College Autonomous, Bangalore