Pearl Academy, in collaboration with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), unveiled its event 'First Cut' at the grand finale of Lakmé Fashion Week held on March 17, 2024, at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai. This platform served as a showcase for the debut collections of final-year fashion design students, presenting their creative endeavors to the global design community.
Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI 2024 | File Image
Following the theme 'AI is Contagious', the collections presented by students from Pearl Academy campuses across the country were displayed on the runway. Divided into three acts - minimal, maximal, and balanced - the showcase focused on the dual nature of AI and its impact on fashion and society.
"The theme 'AI is Contagious' adeptly portrayed this dual nature, depicting AI’s potential pitfalls such as job displacement and the erosion of traditional craftsmanship, while also showcasing its transformative power to enhance design innovation and personalize consumer experiences," expressed Aditi Srivastava, President of Pearl Academy.
Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI 2024 | File Image
Manya Naran, a level 2 student of fashion styling, shared her experience of exploring the theme of AI in fashion. "Our whole content this time revolved around how contagious AI can be, and how overusing anything can be harmful," she said.
She further talked about the most common challenges faced by the students when putting together a design or styling for a runway show. She said, "While we were styling these looks, striking the perfect balance between the usage of colours from bold to the light shades was very tough. We students cannot detect if some colours are very extreme or exactly how to balance the colour scheme, it only comes with experience."
Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI 2024 | File Image
Talking about the career opportunities in the Fashion industry from a student's perspective, she said, "If you want to work in the industry just jump into it; the fashion world is very welcoming and flexible. As a student who wants to make something there, I am scared of how things are gonna be, but we all work hard which creates endless opportunities."
Adding to the opportunities and new emerging career opportunities for students in the Fashion industry, Antonio Maurizio Grioli, the Dean of Pearl Academy, emphasised the importance of evolving courses to align with changing trends and societal values. "Currently, there are numerous new and upcoming career prospects, with one of them being styling. There will always be an increasing number of job opportunities for prompt engineers in the fashion industry, focusing on the visual aspect in the future."
Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI 2024 | File Image
"Fashion is something that will always be there, it will keep evolving. The new emerging trends in the fashion industry are not something we teach students anymore; it is important to focus on individuality and be current to what you do," he added.
