In the Indian subcontinent, clothes can be dated back to the Indus Valley civilization where it was made up of locally grown cotton. The domestic production of cotton can also be traced back to as early as 2500 BCE in India. From there, millenniums down the line, India has grown into the sixth largest apparel market in the world with an estimated market value of USD 59.3 billion in 2022. According to India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), the apparel and textiles industry contributed to 2.3 percent of India’s GDP and 12 percent to export earnings.  This rising growth potential of the industry has also led to the increasing demand for qualified and capable fashion designers in the country. Even though, India’s premier fashion school, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) was established in 1986, it was only until recently, fashion design was considered to be a mainstream education stratum in the country. Many experts believe that fashion design education is still going though its nascent phase in India. That said, due to the increasing career development opportunities in the fashion arena, the demand for quality fashion design education has never been higher in India.           

Owing to this increasing demand, India has also witnessed a sudden mushrooming of fashion technology institutes many of which was established with the sole aim of cashing in on this demand wave.  While some of the premier fashion technology institutes continue to make impressive leaps and bounds nurturing the next generation of fashion technology leaders, many others are adversely impacting the quality of fashion design education and its appeal among the masses. Most experts believe that these institutions are not democratizing fashion education rather they are diluting its quality by offering sub –par fashion design education.  While one segment is struggling to keep pace with the changing requirements of the industry, at the other end of the spectrum, many pioneering fashion technology institutions have continued their growth introducing new and innovative trends which are essential for the development of fashion design education in India. And in this article, let’s analyze some of these trends.     

Interdisciplinary Education to Expand Horizons

With industries getting more integrated and work environments becoming more open, no man is an island in the present-day world. For many students, the ability to open themselves to learn new things and other areas apart from their field of study should be taught. The same can be said for many fashion design students and over the last few years, there has been a growing demand for interdisciplinary education in India. With problems in the real-world becoming more complex, knowledge in a single domain might not help professionals to come up with effective solutions. Here is where interdisciplinary education comes into play and by the integrating knowledge of different fields, this model of education will be able to prepare aspiring fashion designers for life outside the campus.           

School of Fashion Technology (SOFT) at MKSSS, Pune aspires to be a pioneer in the Indian fashion technology education space and the institute aspires to nurture fashion professionals with a diverse skill set and ample practical knowledge. And in order to achieve this, the institute focuses on offering world class interdisciplinary education to their students. SOFT offers a 4 year B.Design (specialization in Fashion Design, Fashion Communication, Textile Design) program, and a two year M.Sc. (Fashion Design) program. Aside from getting mentored by some of the best faculty in fashion technology, students at the institute are also provided with excellent infrastructure and a great learning environment which promotes constant learning. The focus SOFT has put into nurturing passionate learners has paid off as the institute boasts an excellence placement record with many of their alumni going on to make a name for themselves in the industry.   

Continuing Education Programs on the Rise

For those who are not familiar with this concept - Continuing Education Program is an innovative and unique way of educating individuals in order to develop their competency. At the same time, through these programs, a person will be exposed to the new developing areas in their field making it easier for them to be up to date with the latest trends happening in the space. And owing to the rapid penetration of technology, trends are rapidly changing in most industries. The same can be said for fashion technology as well and this makes it harder for people to keep abreast of the latest changes in the industry.    

National institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) is a leading name in the Indian fashion technology education space and they offer a myriad of Continuing Education Programs. These programs prioritize on supporting the fashion design industry as well as the professionals working in the industry. Also, these Continuing Education Programs, at times, help professionals to re-enter the fashion industry. These programs offered by the institute are designed and developed in consultation with both pioneering educators and expert industry practitioners which makes its more effective and industry-centric.           

Internationalization for Borderless Fashion Technology Education       

Over the last couple of decades, the world has gone through multiple paradigm shifts which have impacted almost all industry verticals as well. With rapid adoption of technology, the world became more connected and the invisible boundaries which hindered the transfer of culture and knowledge are almost entirely gone now.  And as the world became more open and accessible, the demand for professionals who can become global citizens increased. For this to happen in the fashion design industry, international exposure of the students is crucial. To achieve this, some fashion technology institutes in India have started to prioritize on collaborations with foreign fashion technology institutes.     

Pearl Academy is a prime example of this as over the years, the institute has built strong relationships with plethora of internationally renowned fashion technology institutes. And through this, the institute is able to not only expose their students to international fashion but students of the institute are also able to experience and understand different cultures, and design philosophies and integrate that into their work. Over the last two plus decades, the institute has evolved into an international fashion technology institution that is capable of nurturing fashion designers who have a global mindset. Leveraging their international network, Pearl Academy helps their students to study in their partner universities in the UK and Australia in the final year.  

Fashion technology education in India is at a crucial crossroads now with many Indian fashion technology institutions gaining international appeal. At the same time, more Indian students are now aspiring to pursue a career in fashion technology. If fashion technology institutes in India can utilize this demand for quality fashion design education and nurture industry-ready professionals, then the growth potential of Indian fashion industry is immense.