What is Difference Between Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising?

What is Difference Between Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising?

Ankitha TunkUpdated on 24 Feb 2025, 01:00 PM IST

Fashion design and fashion merchandising are interconnected and play an important role in the fashion industry. However, both are different fields of study. Fashion design includes the designing of the accessories and clothes whereas fashion merchandising includes the development of marketing strategies, brand awareness, merchandising and retail of the product. Both the professions are crucial for the fashion industry.

What is Difference Between Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising?
Fashion Design Vs Fashion Merchandising

Fashion Design Vs Fashion Merchandising

Fashion design is the process of designing clothes and accessories. It is an art form that depends on creativity, artistic and analyzing skills. Fashion designing does not only limit to making or designing clothes but also includes other lifestyle fashion such as accessories, jewelry, and footwear.

A fashion designer understands the customer's needs, conceptualizes clothing, accessories and works on new fashion trends. The activity of fashion designing includes generating ideas, sketching, selecting fabric, pattern making, sewing, and drafting the design. The fashion designers attend the fashion and design events such as trade shows, fashion exhibitions, fashion shows, etc. Fashion designing is about creativity, style, and new ideas that amaze the audience.

Browse Top Fashion Design Colleges by Location

Fashion Merchandising

Fashion merchandising is about the planning and promotion of a product for sale by presenting it to the correct audience, market at the right time. The product can be presented by carrying out artful advertisements, flyers or attractive displays at the retail store. Fashion merchandising includes stock planning and management.

The fashion merchandiser works with the production of fashion designs and distribution of final products to customers end. The objective of the fashion merchandiser is to earn profit for the designer or departmental they worked for. They ensure the designer designs the product with affordability and desirable by the target market.

Skills Required for Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandising

Fashion Designing

Fashion Merchandising

  • Verbal and written communication skills

  • Design strategies

  • Technical design

  • Trend analysis and application

  • Consumer behavior

  • Pattern making and draping

  • Product development

  • Branding

  • Verbal and written communication skills

  • Building relations

  • Management and leadership

  • Consumer behavior

  • Product development and management

  • Buying

  • Sourcing and logistics

  • Branding and marketing

  • Trend analysis and application

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Eligibility Criteria for the Fashion Designing and Fashion Merchandising Courses

The eligibility criteria for pursuing fashion designing and merchandising may vary for different institutes. The general eligibility criteria to pursue the courses are as follows.

  • Aspirants must be a 10+2 passed or its equivalent from an recognized national or government board of education for a bachelor's degree in fashion management.

  • For a master's degree, aspirants must obtain an undergraduate degree or its equivalent degree from any stream from a recognized university.

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Top Fashion School in India

Students can earn a fashion designing or fashion merchandising course from a reputed fashion school. The top fashion institutes in India are as follows.

Popular Fashion Courses

Fashion design institutes not only train the students with the required skills but also assist them in the right career path. Popular fashion courses that you can pursue to fulfill your dream are as follows.

The fashion industry is a giant business. It is more than just designing clothes. Fashion design is the form of art, including design aesthetics and bringing personal touch to the clothing and accessories.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What skills are required for fashion design?
A:

The skills required for fashion designers are creative skills, artistic and organizational skills.

Q: What skills are needed for fashion merchandising?
A:

The skills needed for fashion merchandiser are marketing, analytical skills, creativity etc.

Q: What is the difference between design and merchandising?
A:

The fashion design is an art form that depends on creativity, artistic and analyzing skills whereas merchandising is about the planning and promotion of a product for sale by presenting it to the market.

Q: Can you be a fashion designer with a fashion merchandising degree?
A:

No, the fashion merchandising degree will not qualify the candidates to become a fashion designer.

Q: What is merchandising in fashion designing?
A:

Fashion merchandising is about the planning and promotion of a product for sale by presenting it to the market. The fashion merchandiser works with the production of fashion designs and distributing of final products to the customers end.

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Questions related to NIFT Entrance Exam

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to NIFT Entrance Exam ?

Hello Neharika

These are the topics which are most important in the Current affairs section in respect to NIFT Entrance Exam:

1. National and International Awards and Honors
2. Government Schemes and Initiatives
3. Sports
4. Appointments and Newsmakers
5. Science and Technology
6. Indian and World Economy
7. International Relations
8. Fashion Industry Updates
9. Books and Authors
10. Art and Culture
11. Environmental and Social Issues

To know more about NIFT Entrance Exam: NIFT Entrance Exam by CAREERS360

Hope this answer helps! Thank You!!!


Hello,

According to the sources, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) entrance exam for 2026 will be held in February 2026. Also, the registration period may open from November 2025.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Hello,
It’s completely understandable to feel disheartened after not getting a seat in the first and second rounds, especially when you’ve filled all the colleges and have your hopes set on a particular course like Fashion Communication . With an OBC rank of 1910 and CMR 7192, your chances can improve in the upcoming counselling rounds as more students withdraw or shift to other colleges.
So make sure to check the further rounds of counselling and don’t lose hope. Many students get seats in the 3rd, 4th, and mop-up rounds. You can also consider updating your preference list or keeping a wider range of courses and campuses open in case you're okay with related fields.
Keep checking the official NIFT website for updates on seat allotment and further counselling instructions.
Thank you

Dear Candidate ,
Yes , you are eligible for NIFT - UG 2026 . Based on your birthdate , you will be 19 years old as of August 1 , 2026 , which is well within the age limit .
NIFT requires applicants to be under 24 years of age on August 1 of the admission year , with a 5 year relaxation for SC/ST/PwD candidates .

Hello

The syllabus of NIFT 2026 will be released on October 2025 by Nift officials on their official website nift.ac.in . The syllabus comprises of topics General Ability Test (GAT) and Creative Ability Test (CAT). The syllabus is different for UG and PG programmes. The GAT syllabus consists of :

  • Communication ability and English comprehension
  • Quantitative ability
  • Analytical and Reasoning
  • Case study
  • General knowledge and current affairs

The CAT syllabus consists important topics like

  • Creative ability
  • Observation power
  • Discernment ability
  • Design ability
  • Colour combination ability

To download the complete syllabus kindly refer this

https://design.careers360.com/articles/nift-syllabus

Good luck !