The spirit of the Indian heritage lies in its exotic cultural and ethnic diversity. The snippets of its richness can be contemplated through its rich and varied architecture, attires, industries and furniture that define the intricacies of the Indian way of life. If we dive deeper and try to find the route of the genesis of this beautiful legacy, ‘Design’ would emerge as a prominent influencing factor.

IDeA Worldwide Design College acknowledges this and strives to create leaders in various fields of design. We at The Knowledge Review got an opportunity to jot down a tale of pure artistic passion and excellence as we spoke to Thomas Abraham, Founder, Mentor and Director of IDeA Worldwide Design College.

Story of Inception

An architect with Honors from IIT, Kharagpur, Thomas Abraham, is the founder of IDeA (Interior Design Academy) World Design College. The college started its humble inception by training students in interior design. Initially, Thomas used to manage the entire institution, from training the students to managing sales and securing admissions. Slowly, as the team began to grow, it paved the way for Thomas to unveil his flair for design- be it Fashion, Interior or kind of design. It led to the foundation of Fashion Design Courses later on. As it occurs that each field of design comes under the same umbrella of similar fundamental principles.

Under his mentorship, the college soon started providing short-term diploma courses. By this time, the student number had grown exponentially, and IDeA World Design College soon expanded to several locations across Bangalore for better reach. The college also conducted several shows, including Bangalore Times Fashion Week and Bombay Times Fashion Week. In 2018 the college received multiple accolades, including being officially affiliated with Bangalore University, and it started providing degree courses. In addition to this, the students of IDeA World Design College also designed for all the 30 finalists of Femina Miss India 2018. This year, the students from the college’s first-degree batch topped Bangalore University.

The White Knight of IDeA

Thomas Abraham is an architect by profession, slowly expanding his expertise to interior design, fashion design, furniture design, art and writing. He has evolved into an award-winning designer, educator, entrepreneur and visionary. His genius extends across several fields of design, and he is among the few who have risen to the top of the design field, having won several national as well as international acclaims for his work, including winning the World Architecture Award, the Milan-based A’ Design Award, the Architecture MasterPrize award as, well as being a Finalist at the Indian Institute for Architects Award (IIA).

The art style that he invented, ‘Writism’, has been patented. Both in its nomenclature and substance contribute uniquely to the art field. Today, his work is part of the permanent collection of the Karnataka Chief Minister’s Residence in Bangalore (the equivalent of the State Governor’s Mansion in the U.S.) – a collection of several eminent provenance works, besides being in private collections in Brazil, India and the U.S.

His work has also been a part of countless fashion shows since 2015. He has designed outfits for all 30 finalists of Miss India 2018 and then went on to design for the Bombay times Fashion Week 2019, which was show-stopped by Suman Rao, Miss India 2019. His furniture collection was exhibited at the Architectural Digest Design Show 2019 on par with international brands like Fendi, Casa and Gauri Khan designs, where his designs were much appreciated. He has been featured for furniture design on the award-winning American television channel Newswatch thrice. In addition, he has been in the press and media worldwide, including being featured in NBC and FOX 40 in the USA, Marketwatch in the Netherlands, The Morning Star in China, and International Business Times.

Thomas Abraham’s popularity has contributed several ways to IDeA World Design College achieving its current reputation. His accolades have helped publicise the college as well across the globe. Students often arrive seeking admission after hearing about his design contributions and awards so as to be mentored by him.

Unique Course Offerings and Teaching Methodology

At IDeA World Design College, the eligibility to enter any course is not based on prior academic performances or knowledge. Instead, it is entirely based on the applicant’s creativity. An exclusive entrance test is conducted called- IDEA (The Intelligence Design Evaluation Assessment). This test specifically tests a student’s creativity and design level. Students are also not expected to have prior training or knowledge.

Thomas Abraham explains the significance of this unique approach by saying, “At IDeA, everything is taught from scratch, with and without software. There is less focus on theory and more on holistically developing the students to become industry-ready designers rather than textbook oriented. Everything is done through workshops, seminars and hands-on training. Moreover, the teaching setup is very flexible, where students are treated like friends to encourage open discussions.”

Students at IDeA also get to design for celebrities, and high-end design shows and exhibits on par with them. In addition, 100 % placement assistance is provided, so the students get placed in top design companies. Thomas states, “IDeA World Design College makes sure that at whatever level students join, whether with or without prior knowledge of design, in the end, they are design professionals, ready to take on the design world.”

The college focuses a lot on training students through workshops taught by industry experts. Julian Roberts, fashion designer and filmmaker, trained the students at IDeA in Subtraction Cutting, Rene Jansen, Building Biologist, took a COB Workshop, Dr Bijoy Varghese taught about landscape while Manuela Catania taught them about sustainable design.

In addition to this, the college also keeps having different long-term and short-term courses where students are trained specifically on how to hone their artistic skills. Prasad Bidapa, a fashion choreographer and impresario, taught students what to keep in their minds when their designs are showcased on the ramp, training them to be confident professionals. Anand Bhardwaj, a Vastu Consultant to celebrities in India, taught them about Vastu, an important concept for interior design students. IDeA World Design College ensures that professionals in the field teach students for them to have a clear understanding of what the industry is actually like.

Globally Competent Curriculum

IDeA World Design College is directly affiliated with the American Institute of Architects (AIA). In addition to their international affiliations, students’ works are submitted for some of the world’s leading design competitions.

Thomas Abraham sheds light on the global exposure for the students at IDeA; he says, “Last year, the Optimus from the Transformer Furniture Collection made by our students was the only Indian finalist at the Society of British and International Interior Design Awards (SBID). Students regularly get an insight into global design through the workshops conducted by global design personalities.”

Awards and Accolades

• 2018 – Emerging Icon Award for IDeA Design House (our in-house design studio where students’ work is featured) by Times of India (the world’s largest circulating English daily)
• 2018 – IDeA World Design College won the award for Best Design Education at the Business Times Awards
• 2020 – IDeA World Design College won the award for Top and Most Creative Design for Quality Infrastructure and Facilities
• 2021-2022- IDeA World Design College’s campus, the Crystal Hall, won over 15 awards.
• 2022- IDeA World Design College’s first-degree batch won the first rank at Bangalore University

Heading to the Future

Thomas Abraham envisions IDeA World Design College to expand and gain exposure on a global level. The college also focuses on global affiliations with prominent design bodies and global associations with top universities so that we can conduct exchange programs. According to Thomas, the exchange programs are particularly helpful as both students at our college, as well as the other universities, get exposed to design on a much more global level.

While explaining his outlook for the future, he exclaims, “IDeA also looks forward to participating in several international awards. We are also looking forward to many more university toppers in the coming years like we received this year. We are also especially looking forward to our alumni reaching heights based on the learning and exposure they received at our college. Many of them have started and are in the process of starting their labels, so it is a proud moment for their alma matter.”