Fashion Technology: Scope, Opportunities, Choosing The Right College

Fashion Technology Definition

The term 'Fashion Technology' means the use of innovative creations and technologies to improve the fashion field that includes design, production, retail industry and more. People think 'Is fashion technology a good career?' Obviously, fashion technology can be used by various designers, manufacturers, retailers, and customers for needy purposes.

To know the fashion technology meaning, the design aspirants need to know it as the bridge to build the gap between the fashion trends with the required tools and processes in order to expand the field of design, manufacturing, clothing, and fashion accessories.

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Fashion Technology Scope

India’s consumption of textiles and apparels has been growing at an unprecedented rate, and the country is one of the largest consumers and producers of cotton, according to the India Brand Equity Foundation. The Indian textile and apparel industry is highly differentiated with segments that range from products of traditional handloom, wool, and silk to artisanal weaves, synthetic fabric and innovative clothing made from sustainable fibre.

The textile industry is one of the biggest contributors to India’s economy with a five percent contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It is also the second largest employer after agriculture, providing direct employment to 45 million people and 100 million people in the allied sectors.

India’s booming textiles and garment export business earned a record $44 billion in 2021-22 and is expected to grow at a fast clip with some of the South Asian garment producing countries in economic turmoil.

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What is the Scope of Fashion Technology?

The scope of fashion technology as per the current trend is very vast and fast growing dynamic industry in the aspect of textile and apparels. Students of fashion technology courses have exciting prospects of fashion technology jobs. At the end of the AICTE recognised 4-year intensive programme, graduates have a choice of fashion technology scope of jobs such as that of fashion designer, fashion analyst, jewellery designer or operational roles as fashion and apparel retailer, merchandiser, quality controller, fashion e-commerce, marketing or even as an industrial engineer. With a robust Indian garment export industry there are a host of opportunities for when choosing fashion technology at foreign design and buying houses.

Is Fashion Technology a Good Career?

Obviously, candidates who take up the fashion technology course has a very bright future. Graduates of fashion technology courses find jobs in companies, garment export houses, apparel makers, apparel retailing chains, sports garments, home furnishing, textile makers, design houses and even private label makers.

A fresh fashion technology courses’ graduate starts at upwards of Rs 25,000 a month. However, the rise is rapid for those with flair in designing and managing. And after 5-6 years a salary of over Rs 1 lakh a month is not uncommon.

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What is Fashion Design Technology?

The fashion design technology is the implementation of the ongoing modern technology into the creation, design and development of fashion products. Fashion design technology works with the latest tools and techniques that include 3D modelling, machine design making, fabric painting and printing with computer aided designs called CAD.

Opportunities Galore

As change sweeps through the textile sector, opportunities are growing. The traditional sector is witnessing a huge wave of automation. Application of textiles in the medical field is a game changer. Particularly, the use of conductive yarns embedded with sensors to remotely monitor a patient’s health parameters has brought together researchers from the world of healthcare and textiles. With its increasing scope, the demand for persons with creative skills and sound technical knowledge for fashion technology jobs are expected to rise exponentially across the globe.

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What is Fashion Design and Clothing Technology?

Fashion design is the process of creating and designing the garments whereas clothing technology is the process of implementing the tools and techniques based on the requirements for an improvement in the fashion industry.

How To Choose the Right College?

Students with a creative bent of mind who complete Class 12 with Science subjects can typically seek admission into the BTech course in Fashion Technology. Selecting the right college to make a bright career in fashion technology is really a difficult task. However, the aspirants can check some of the major factors to pursue the fashion technology, fashion design and clothing technology courses. Well-known colleges provide the necessary platforms for the students to realise their full potential. State-of-the-art laboratory facilities and provision of professional training are very helpful for students' learning.

Through a BTech in Fashion Technology course students develop skills that enable them to develop creative and innovative product designs to the standards of international and national apparel manufacturers.

As clothing fulfils one of the basic needs of mankind, it gives rise to a huge market. No wonder then, the textile industry is an ever-flourishing field which has given rise to a global business of around $2 trillion for fashion technology jobs.

BTech In Fashion Technology Helps You To Develop Skills Needed To Create Product Designs

Once you decide on pursuing a BTech in Fashion Technology course, it is important to look for an institution with the right credentials, track record, and connection with the textile, apparel and fashion industry. Here are some pointers you should keep in mind when choosing a college for fashion technology programmes:-

• When choosing out of prospective fashion technology colleges, check if the college has the permission to update its curriculum in keeping with the industry trends. Most autonomous colleges have the permission
• What is the student-teacher ratio? A college with a student-teacher ratio of 10:1 is better than one with a student- teacher ratio of 15:1
• Before choosing fashion technology colleges, check what percentage of faculty members have a doctoral qualification
• Find out if the college is engaged by global institutions for undertaking cutting- edge work e.g.; developing smart textiles and clothing for monitoring health parameters, therapeutic purposes in fashion technology
• Has the institution bagged any patents in fashion technology, device development, and filed any patents to gauge the degree of R&D mindset
• State-of-the art lab facilities and facilitation of in-plant training aids hands-on learning
• How many students completed PhD in Fashion Technology in the last 10 years
• Department ranking in surveys by AICTE, industry bodies like CII, independent survey of best Fashion Technology colleges by reputed organisations/media houses
• Is the college faculty invited by other fashion technology colleges for mentoring, and
• How strong is the industry connect in terms of internships, placement, guest lectures, alumni coming back to recruit at the institution?

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Raja D is Professor, Sona College of Technology, Salem. Department of Fashion Technology is a five-time winner of AICTE-CII best industry-academia partnership awardee.