Prerna Bharatkumar Patel’s experience in the fashion industry at the Parul Institute of Design inspired her to put her creative and practical learning to use. While working on her Diploma in Fashion Design at Parul University, she presented her graduate collection at Vadodara Fashion Week, interned in the fashion industry through campus placement, volunteered at several professional-level fashion shows, and even founded her own fashion brand ‘Junior Master’ before completing her diploma.
It’s amazing to look at her achievements and see where she has come. But it’s the journey behind it all that makes her story inspiring.
Prerna was born and raised in Vadodara, Gujarat. She describes herself as a middle-bench student during her school years, with academics that had their ups and downs. Mathematics was never her strongest subject. What always came naturally, however, was sketching. She enjoyed expressing ideas through drawings, never imagining that this creative interest would one day become her career.
Her life changed significantly during her Class 10 board examinations when she lost both her parents. It was a deeply personal loss that made her responsible and mature from an early age. Instead of letting that experience dominate her future, she chose to move forward with quiet determination while carrying both the challenges and the lessons that came with it.
After Class 10, she didn’t follow the conventional route of education, which is to pursue standard 11 and 12. She was drawn towards a different path. She started looking at diploma courses that would directly support her creative passions. The first thing that attracted her to fashion design was that she could combine her love of art and design to build something worthwhile with her own hands.
At first, her family was in favour of taking the traditional academic route, but after discussing various career options, they supported her decision to pursue a diploma further. Looking back, she believes she would have eventually entered the design industry regardless. Choosing a diploma simply allowed her to begin that journey much earlier.
Finding a Place That Encouraged Creativity Beyond the Classroom
Selecting fashion design was only one decision. Finding the right university was equally important.
During her research on different institutions, Prerna visited several campuses with her brother before finally arriving at Parul University. The modern infrastructure, amiable environment, and learning facilities immediately captured her attention.
At Parul University, she saw opportunities that extended beyond classroom teaching. She learned that fashion shows, industry exposure, internships through campus placements, backstage experiences, and constant faculty support formed an ecosystem where students could apply what they learned in practical situations. The holistic environment of the university convinced her even more to pursue her education.
Over the next three years, she made the most of every opportunity available.
Design is more than Creating Garments
Prerna believes that design is much more than just creating garments. It is a way of expressing emotions, communicating ideas, and creating stories.
Interestingly, this was not a belief she held before joining the programme. It developed gradually through the Diploma in Fashion Design. As she progressed from one semester to the next, she realised that every collection begins with a thought, an emotion, or an experience. Designers are not simply creating clothes. They are transforming ideas into something people can see, wear, and connect with.
This understanding completely changed the way she approached design.
Since then, for her, every project became an opportunity to communicate a meaningful story rather than simply producing another outfit.
Learning the Craft
Like every creative domain, fashion designing also requires a mix of imagination and technical skills.
Prerna Patel admitted that one of the most challenging aspects of the course for her was digital designing. Learning new software, mastering technical details, and translating an idea into reality was a recurring process that required a lot of practice and patience.
The faculty of PID supported her through these challenges. Prerna credited Ms. Tanvee Panchal for being approachable even outside classrooms while preparing students for the demands of the industry. Faculty members like Ms. Kairavi Mankad also encouraged her, which later played an important role in shaping her graduation collection.
In her final semester, one of the faculty members mentored her project. He brought his insights and understanding of Gothic aesthetics, which gave her work creative direction.
In addition to technical aspects, Prerna found that fashion design is as much a form of storytelling as it is craftsmanship. One of her most profound lessons from the programme was that emotions and written concepts can be woven into wearables.
In every class, whether it was stitching, design development, or technical sessions, she had to undergo detailed research and experimentation.
All the classes gave her a new perspective. This made her emphasise the fact that fashion design is an ever-evolving field.
Experiencing Front & Backstage Work of the Runway
Prerna’s learning was never limited to studio work. When she was just in her first semester, she walked the runway for the first time during the Courtyard Fashion Show hosted by the Parul Institute of Design. It was her debut as a model and gave her an entirely different perspective on fashion shows. The experience gave her an understanding of how movement, confidence, and styling build the audience’s perception towards a garment. Running on the runway was also a great confidence builder for her. It helped her manage stage nervousness and develop self-assurance to present creative work on a public platform.
Later, she experienced the industry from the opposite side.
As a volunteer during VFDF 3.0, the Final Graduation Fashion Show held in December 2025, she worked backstage where she coordinated collections, assisted models, managed garment sequences, and responded to the fast-paced challenges that come with live fashion events.
This experience showed her that fashion shows are built on teamwork just as much as creativity. Last-minute alterations, changing sequences, and unexpected backstage situations are all part of the profession. Learning to remain calm while solving problems became just as valuable as designing garments.
Those experiences quietly prepared her for the biggest project of her academic journey that was yet to come.
Bloodline Pact: From Concept to the Vadodara Fashion Week Runway
The inspiration behind Prerna’s final graduation collection began almost a year before it reached the runway.
During Semester Five, she developed a concept centred on the emotional strength and visual symbolism associated with widowhood. At that stage, it existed only as a digital concept. Although the idea was appreciated, it had not yet transformed into a complete collection.
When preparations for the graduation show began in Semester Six, Ms. Kairavi Mankad encouraged her to revisit the concept instead of discarding it. With guidance from her faculty and mentorship, the original idea gradually evolved into a complete collection named Bloodline Pact.
The final collection combined the emotional depth of her original concept with Gothic influences while aligning with the show’s graduation theme. Throughout the design process, she experienced exactly what professional designers often encounter.
Not every sketch translated perfectly into fabric.
The final stages of production brought an unexpected challenge when the laser detailing planned for key parts of the garments failed to achieve the intended result. With only a few hours remaining before the show, the collection required immediate design revisions.
Drawing on the experience she had gained while working backstage at fashion shows, Prerna remained composed under pressure. She overcame the challenge through last-minute adjustments, including garment alterations, and ultimately took the collection to the runway at Vadodara Fashion Week.
Instead of viewing those moments as setbacks, Prerna’s calmness and flexibility helped her understand that such challenges are a normal part of the design process. When Bloodline Pact was eventually showcased at Vadodara Fashion Week, she stood backstage overwhelmed as months of research, revisions, fitting sessions, and hard work culminated before a live audience.
One unexpected moment stayed with her long after the show ended.
A model preparing to walk the runway turned to her and asked whether she could buy the outfit. For Prerna, no compliment could have been more heart touching.
In that moment, she realised that someone connected with her work not simply as a garment, but as a design worth owning. Watching her collection walk the runway while her family celebrated the achievement became one of the proudest moments of her journey as a student designer.
What the Diploma Path Delivered
Prerna gives credit for her journey to herself, her family, and the university. Cheerfully, she gives 100 percent to herself for facing difficult times with confidence and 50-50 to her family and the university for their support. She gratefully acknowledges the university for providing opportunities that extended beyond classroom learning. The Semester 1 runway, the backstage role at VFDF 3.0, and the final show at Vadodara Fashion Week were experiences that would not have been available on an alternate path or at another institution.
With the appreciation she received, she credits her mentors for guiding her throughout the journey. Prerna mentions Ms. Panchal and Ms. Kairavi Mankad Ma’am, who have consistently supported her. They encouraged and guided her even during late hours, helping her develop the widow concept across two semesters, shape the Gothic aesthetic, and establish the central theme of Bloodline Pact.
When asked how she views this entire journey, she explains that apart from her consistency and determination, the opportunities provided by Parul University played an equally important role. The runway shows, industry internships, backstage volunteering, faculty mentorship, and startup encouragement through PIERC created a supportive environment that helped her grow.
Supported by an ecosystem recognised through NAAC A++ accreditation with a CGPA of 3.55, Category 1 status with Graded Autonomy, a place in the QS World University Rankings Asia 2026 (1001–1100 band), a NIRF Top 50 ranking for Innovation, 7th in India and joint 46th worldwide for SDG 4 (Quality Education) in the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Rankings 2026, and recognition as the Best University in Placements by ASSOCHAM for three consecutive years, Parul University continues to provide students with opportunities to learn, create, and grow beyond the classroom.
FAQs
Who is Prernakumari Bharatkumar Patel, and what is Bloodline Pact?
Prernakumari Bharatkumar Patel is a Diploma in Fashion Design student from the 2023 batch at Parul Institute of Design, part of the Faculty of Design at Parul University. Bloodline Pact is her final-year collection, a widow-inspired Gothic collection presented at Vadodara Fashion Week. The concept began in Semester Five as a digital widow-themed collection, was developed with faculty mentor Kairavi Mankad, and merged with the graduation theme under her final-semester mentor into a Gothic framework. During production, planned laser detailing on the shoulders failed, and the upper shoulder element was altered in the final hour before the show. A model backstage asked to buy one of the outfits. Her internship and her own fashion brand are covered in Part 2 of her story.
Can you become a fashion designer through a diploma instead of 11th, 12th, and a degree?
Prernakumari Bharatkumar Patel's experience shows one path. She chose a Diploma in Fashion Design at Parul Institute of Design after Class 10, rather than pursuing 11th and 12th followed by a design degree. Her own reasoning was that the direction was the same either way, or the diploma reached it sooner. In three years, the diploma delivered runway experience from Semester 1 at the Courtyard Fashion Show, a backstage volunteer role at VFDF 3.0 in December 2025, and a final-year collection, Bloodline Pact, at Vadodara Fashion Week. For a student with a clear direction and the willingness to build actively across three years, the diploma path can produce industry exposure earlier than a conventional academic-plus-degree sequence. Parul Institute of Design also offers B.Des and Master's programmes for students who prefer the longer academic route or want to specialise further after a diploma.
Which faculty and platforms supported her at Parul Institute of Design?
Three faculty members shaped Prerna Patel's development. Ms. Tanvee Panchal, often described as strict but reachable at any hour, helped her through the digital-design element she found hardest. Ms. Kairavi Mankad recognised her widow-collection concept early and pushed her to develop it into her final collection. Her final-semester mentor brought the Gothic sensibility the collection needed. Beyond faculty, Parul Institute of Design provided platforms central to her growth: the Courtyard Fashion Show in Semester 1, where she first walked a runway; VFDF 3.0 in December 2025, where she volunteered backstage at a multi-college professional show; and Vadodara Fashion Week, where her final collection was presented. These platforms, available from the first semester, distinguish the programme from curriculum-only fashion education.
