Fashion designing has become one of the most alluring courses in recent times in Nepal. Because it is financially rewarding and it satisfies the creative souls, the glitz and glamour of the fashion world appeal to the youth towards pursuing fashion designing as their career. Further, pioneering fashion designers in Nepal including those who have made their names in the international world have also inspired them.
As the number of fashion designing aspirants is growing, so is the number of colleges and institutions providing designing courses in Nepal to cater to the demand. And, if you are an aspirant looking for fashion colleges and institutions here, here are plenty of options to choose from:
1. Namuna College of Fashion Technology (NCFT)
The NCFT was initially started as Namuna Institute of Technology in 1997 by Gyani Shova Tuladhar, one of the most renowned fashion designers in Nepal. Later in 2002, it was converted into a fashion college. The NCFT is one of the most sought after fashion colleges in Nepal. Its goodwill is mostly credited to experienced faculty members having national and international exposure and majorly to the success of the NCFT’s graduates in the Nepali fashion industry as fashion designers or fashion entrepreneurs or fashion educators. The much-celebrated names in the Nepali fashion arena including Manish Rai, Bishwo Gautam, Yubi Thapa and Neelima Tamang are the NCFT alumni.
The NCFT, located at Bansbari in Kathmandu, offers a four-year (eight-semester) bachelor of fashion design and management (BFDM) programme in affiliation with the Purbanchal University.
2. The IEC College of Art and Fashion
The IEC College of Art and Fashion is another popular fashion college located in Mandikhatar, Kathmandu. This college has been catering quality education in fashion and interior designing for more than two decades. This college offers a BA (Hons) in fashion and retailing and BA in interior architecture programmes affiliated with Limkokwing University, Malaysia. Along with this, this college also offers a one-year diploma in fashion designing. This college has also received the International Gold Quality Award (USA) for quality education and is also the winner of the Asian Top Fashion Organisation.
3. International Institute of Fashion Technology (IIFT)
The IIFT offers a diploma in applied fashion designing and an advanced diploma in applied fashion designing courses to aspiring fashion designers. The institute–located at Bagbazar Plaza, Kathmandu, and Kumaripati Lalitpur–is run by a group of young entrepreneurs having years of experience in the fashion industry and fashion education. As this institution is well associated with multiple beauty pageants, model hunts, films, television shows, the designers get more exposure.
4. Gorgeous Institute of Fashion Technology (GIFT)
The Gorgeous Institute of Fashion Technology (GIFT) is another fashion designing school started in 2011. This institution, located in Lagankhel, Lalitpur, provides fashion designing and tailoring courses, namely: 18 months diploma in fashion designing and a one-year executive diploma in fashion designing. Likewise, this fashion school also organises fashion shows and offers job placement services.
5. Nepal Institute of Fashion
The Nepal Institute of Fashion was established in 2013. The NIF, located in Yeti Plaza, Bagbazaar, Kathmandu, focuses on heuristics education in the fashion designing field. This fashion school provides a diploma in fashion designing, which is a one-year course.
6. Raffles Institute of Fashion & Art (RIFA)
The Bhaktapur Raffles Institute of Fashion & Art (RIFA) is one of the few fashion schools in Bhaktapur. Located in Suryabinayak, RIFA was started in 2011 and has been providing fashion education, providing CTEVT-accredited vocational training in the fashion area for over a decade. This fashion school offers a diploma in fashion designing and an advanced diploma in fashion designing that covers the international fashion market, fashion illustration, textile and all.
