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Fashion to MBA: IIM Ahmedabad Interview Tale

Designing Success: How a Fashion Professional Tackled the IIM Ahmedabad Interview

Candidate Profile

  • Background: Bachelor’s in Fashion Design from a premier design institute
  • Work Experience: 21 months in product and sampling strategy at Zudio (a fashion retail brand under Tata Group)
  • Category: General Female (GNEF)
  • Interview Date: 16 February
  • Panel Composition: 3 Male Professors

Analytical Writing Test (AWT)

Topic: A scenario related to the stock market (exact wording not shared)

📌 Tip: For finance-heavy topics, stick to structured reasoning—define key terms like Sensex, volatility, investor behavior, and bring in real-world examples if possible.

Interview Questions & Candidate’s Approach

🎨 Work Profile & Industry Understanding

🔵 P1: Can you explain your role in the fashion industry?

📌 Tip: Clearly break down creative responsibilities, team collaboration, and production cycle contributions.

🔵 P2: What’s the difference between Fashion Design and Fashion Technology? Do principles from Fashion Tech apply to your work?

📌 Tip: Differentiate clearly—design focuses on aesthetics and trends, while tech handles manufacturing, automation, and process efficiency.

🔵 P2: How do you incorporate tech in your fashion workflow? Do you use any tools yourself?

📌 Tip: Highlight CAD tools, 3D prototyping, supply chain software—even if used indirectly.

🧵 Ethical & Socio-Economic Design Thinking

🔵 P2: Do you know about Patola weaving in Patan? How would you help the weavers tackle Chinese competition?

📌 Tip: Discuss marketing, government incentives, design innovation, and storytelling. Promote “value over volume” thinking.

🔵 P2: But is it competitive if it’s so expensive?

📌 Tip: Frame your answer around heritage value, exclusivity, and ethical consumption. Niche products don’t compete on cost.

📉 Economics, Finance & Graphs

🔵 P3: Is there a relationship between product pricing and demand? Can you draw a graph?

📌 Tip: Be clear about demand curves and price elasticity. Real-life examples like Patola or luxury fashion can enrich your answer.

🔵 P1: Why does the curve bend near the ends? Can you give a luxury example?

📌 Tip: Demonstrates your understanding of inelasticity at premium price points—well-handled here with Patola and NFTs.

📈 Stock Market & Ratios

🔵 P3: What’s the difference between Sensex and Nifty? How does stock movement in one affect the other?

📌 Tip: Be formal and precise—mention market breadth, index composition, and investor perception spillover.

🔵 P2: What is P/E ratio?

📌 Tip: Define and interpret—talk about earnings potential, investor expectations, and valuation benchmarks.

🎭 Hobbies & Art Appreciation

🔵 P1: What are your hobbies? Isn’t painting too close to your work?

📌 Tip: Distinguish personal expression from professional creation—emphasize intent, emotion, and creative freedom.

🔵 P1: Name famous painters. What art movement did Salvador Dali belong to? How is that different from Picasso’s?

📌 Tip: Great opportunity to showcase cultural literacy. Dali was Surrealist; Picasso—Cubist. Be ready for quick art history contrasts.

Key Takeaways for Future Candidates

  • ✅ Unconventional profiles shine when presented with clarity and confidence.
  • ✅ Use creative fields to demonstrate real-world analytical thinking—don’t shy away from numbers and graphs.
  • ✅ Fashion, art, and business intersect beautifully—highlight how your perspective adds value.
  • ✅ Stay calm when asked to “explain everything”—structure your responses step-by-step.
  • ✅ Cultural awareness, domain knowledge, and interdisciplinary thinking impress B-school panels.
📢 Disclaimer: Real Stories, Modified for Privacy
🔍 The above interview experience is based on real candidate interactions collected from various sources. To ensure privacy, some details such as location, industry specifics, and numerical figures have been altered. However, the core questions and insights remain authentic. These stories are intended for educational purposes and do not claim to represent official views of any institution. Any resemblance to actual individuals is purely coincidental.
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