Bengaluru girl nails NIFT exam, comes 2nd nationally

"Her thoughts were never structured," said her techie father Shivaprasad Kambalimath, recalling that when she was in class 9, she had held her first art exhibition in her apartment.

That was the start.

Sirigowri had opted for commerce and psychology in class-XII, which she thought, would help her understand fashion.

"We must understand people's choices and preferences before designing something for them," she reasoned.

A student of Sri Kumaran's Children's Home, Mallasandra, Sirigowri (extreme left) said she always wanted to be a fashion designer, but didn't have clarity about its different streams.

"That is why I joined Design Quotient Labs (in Indira Nagar), a coaching institute," where professional designers guided the aspirants as to what exactly would suit them.

She chose her stream: fashion communication.

"Fashion has been misinterpreted since long. Fashion defines us, our personality. The clothes we wear is like walking with own art," she quipped.

NIFT would hold its counseling sessions either this month or in June; she is yet to decide between NIFT Delhi and Mumbai, but she has her parents' full support.

Her ultimate goal is to conduct her own show at Milan.