The Higher Education Review

Primarily steered by the changing trends, shifting preferences, and technological disruptions, including the digital influence, fashion designing has grown substantially into a multibillion-dollar industry, reaping the interest of enthusiasts, job-seekers, and the international market. The advancement, on the other hand, has also led to the influx of academic centers that guarantee the students premium higher education, a dream career, and domestic as well as global exposure to carve a niche in the competitive fashion landscape.

While these promises might seem tempting, what becomes important yet challenging for a budding designer is to find the one institution that walks the talk by offering a holistic and balanced mix of basic as well as advanced programs and curriculum, well-qualified faculty, state-of-the-art academic facilities, learner-friendly infrastructure, extracurricular parameters, and importantly, research and placement opportunities.

Standing tall as the epitome of such a rare gem is Graphic Era Hill University (GEHU), a leading private university headquartered in Uttarakhand distinguished for leveraging a top-notch ecosystem to learn, create, and grow. Today GEHU has three campuses in Dehradun, Bhimtal, and Haldwani, located in a way to cover more students from other parts of Uttarakhand and some neighboring states.

The Underlying Vision
Marked by its unrelenting pursuit for knowledge creation and innovation, GEHU was formed as a constituent of the nonprofit organization named Graphic Era Education Society, which was established in 1993 by Prof. Dr. Kamal Ghanshala, a commendable educationist and a thought leader. Its inception is a testament to his belief in delivering quality higher education to not only the affluent class but also the common people of hills.

Set up to further his overarching mission, GEHU today has emerged as a reliable center for undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in different streams, including engineering, law, management, applied sciences, agriculture, and journalism and mass communication. The college diversified its course bracket in 2015 to include design-based courses, encompassing fine arts and fashion design.

Prioritizing practical and experiential learning, GEHU employs a comprehensive strategy for making the students industry ready. The curriculum, crafted in collaboration with the industry leaders, enables students to stay current with the dynamic realm, while the highly skilled faculty fraternity further equips the students to learn the ropes of the art while dodging the complexities. The university also stresses upon the soft-skill and entrepreneurship development of its students, helping them brave challenges and scale up in the long run.

Each semester, GEHU strives to upgrade its curriculum by meeting traditional and contemporary industry experts. “We have already implemented the new curriculum in accordance with NEP 2020, from the last academic year 2023-24,” adds Amrit Das, Head of the Department of Fashion Design (School of Design).

Powered by the advanced technologies in its design studios the University has digital design labs such as CAD (Computer-Aided Design) labs equipped with 50 MAC computers with latest software, a textile dyeing and printing lab, a garment construction lab with 40 Latest Japanese JUKI Sewing Machines, dress forms as per international Standard in Patternmaking & Draping Lab. The technical courses are further supported with courses related to the business of fashion, such as e-commerce in fashion, fashion retail & marketing, merchandise management and entrepreneurship development & CSR.

At GEHU technology plays a pivotal role in the development of not just the students but also its professors, which is clearly exemplified by its multiple MOUs with leading industries, one of them being an MOU with AWS that helps the faculty in capacity building on latest technology and tools including AI, and more.

Nurturing Creativity
"GEHU places an equal emphasis on innovation via research, where the students are propelled to dive deeper into a subject. For example, a selected set of students can choose any of the live joint research projects coming from the industry, wherein they brainstorm potential viable solutions alongside some of the faculty members. The University has more than 1000 patents published, 34 patents granted, and in addition the students and faculty of Fashion Design Department has around 30 design patents,” shares Amrit.

The research and learning is further supported by the college’s library, which possesses vast collections of books, journals, and e-resources. B.Design in Fashion design course offers a unique and mandatory program called Craft Cluster Project, in which students are required to go to various craft clusters in India, as a part of which they visit various crafts centers such as J&K, Jaipur, Bagru, Kutch, Patiala, Lucknow, Bareilly, Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu and so on.

The craft cluster project provides an exposure and an opportunity to interact with craftsmen and experience the methods and materials involved in creating Indian Traditional embroideries and textiles of India which is an integral part of fashion. The university also encourages them to participate in outreach programs, which aim at upskilling and uplifting women of Uttarakhand.

At GEHU we encourage our students to participate in various Fashion Design Events, Fashion shows and Competitions to showcase their design skills to the design community across the country. Besides, GEHU is well known for its own Annual fashion event, called UTTARAAGAM, a Graduation Show, wherein all final year students get an opportunity to showcase their Final Design Collections inspired by a wide range of innovative themes with Sustainability at the nucleus.

During Uttaraagam the students display their creativity and skills in front of audience comprising of experts & design professionals from leading fashion businesses of the country.

To add value to the curriculum, regular guest lectures, industry tours, and field trips to diverse exhibitions and fairs are organized for augmenting the learning experience. Backed by strong industry tie-ups, the institution enables its students to perform their best in interviews and subsequent professional journeys through multiple pre-placement and placement activities held by its dedicated placement cell, attracting designers, brands, and representatives from export houses every semester. The students are placed with leading Designers, International and domestic brands such as Hemant & Nandita, Tommy Hilfiger, Reliance Retail, Biba, Shree, Aurelia, Gap, Only, Superdry, Calvin Klein, Benetton to name a few.

”GEHU emphasizes on holistic education based on a blend of tradition with innovation for crafting a sustainable future”

Strengthening Legacy
Department of Fashion Design with its corner stone in sustainability has contributed to the state through extensive research on the indigenous fibre of the state of Uttarakhand stinging ‘Nettle’. The sustainable collection using Nettle was sponsored by brand Raymonds and was created based on Zero waste principles using knitting, handloom, khadi and engineered garments concepts.

The collection received recognition and accolades at both National & International Exhibitions such as Sustainable Innovation at QS Asia Pacific Summit 2023 held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Guatemala. It was also exhibited at Akhil Bharatiya Samagam inaugurated by the Honourable Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, at Bharat Mandapam, International exhibition centre, New Delhi. This Sustainable collection has been granted 10 design registrations from GOI and 3 UK Design Patents.

Besides this, the department has designed and developed Caps and Robes for University convocation for the state of Uttarakhand. The Cap was declared as the 'State Cap' by the then Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. The university also promotes research to conserve indigenous resources of Himalayan state to create a value chain to provide livelihood to the local women of the region.

One of the other factors that sets GEHU apart from the rest is its remarkable infrastructure that facilitates a vibrant and efficient educational atmosphere. The institution boasts a serene and well-equipped campus with modern facilities, which include not just the tech-savvy classrooms but also sports and accommodation facilities along with several clubs. Although it holds a diverse population of national and international students, the university also ensures to offer specialized benefits for the local students in Uttarakhand by offering them a 25 percent domicile concession.

With such feathers in its cap, GEHU is looking forward to continuing to invest in technologies and strategies to continue its legacy.