Fashion Technology: Scope, Opportunities, Choosing The Right College
Do you have a creative streak in you? Then why not look at a career in fashion technology that is stitching up great opportunities for India?
I can quote from my own example. Growing up, as a high school student, my life revolved around books, drawing, painting and sports. I led a carefree life, pursuing my passions, with no idea about what I would do after school until suddenly my parents started urging me to study to become either a doctor or an engineer. That’s when I began mapping my aptitude with available courses and shortlisted Architecture, Design and Textiles, finally opting for Textiles Engineering.
I never had occasion to regret my choice as textiles, with its rich history, craft traditions and ever evolving fashion trends spun a fascinating web. For the last two decades, along with my colleagues, I have been transferring my passion for textiles to young men and women as I prepare them, with the help of colleagues, to earn their undergraduate degrees in Fashion Technology.
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Fabricating A Big Future
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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Weaving An Exciting Career
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 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.
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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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 is expected to rise exponentially.
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How To Enrol
Students with a creative bent of mind who complete Class 12 with Science subjects can typically seek admission in BTech in Fashion Technology. 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
Picking The Right College
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.
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