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India:Academic excellence ''fashions'' success abroad |
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2004-9-8
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Fashion technology graduates are catching the nex flights to destinations like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Australia, UAE, Hong Kong and Bahrain, hold on in Italy and the US, too.
The graduated from National Institute of Fashion Technology’s (NIFT) students never had it so good after software professionals had rollicking time heading towards the west.
Today Texmaco of Indonesia, Lenny Fashion of Bangladesh, MRS Fashion WLL, Bahrain, Brandix in Sri Lanka and PT Sainath in Indonesia among others pick creme de la creme of this reputed institute.
Not to be left behind are Marks & Spencer and Revlon who have sought NIFT Delhi''s help source more students.
Pearl Academy, Delhi, too can boast of 5-10 graduates getting picked up by foreign export houses and retail chains every year, helped by the fact that it has accreditation from Nothingham Trent University, UK.
When these fashion graduates start job-hopping, they also country-hop. Says TK Home, NIFT’s information and trade officer, “Our student Priya Sharma worked in Bangladesh first, then shifted to Sri Lanka and the news is she is moving from there also.”
Some of their career paths are quite intriguing. Like NIFT’s Rupa Ganguly, who initially got a job with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) because she also possesses a management degree. Now, she works with Geneva-based International Trade Centre (ITC).
WalMart and GAP are sourcing fashion students from India. US based Victoria’s Secret, has Pearl Academy’s Nidhi Gandhi working as a senior merchandiser.
How do Indians manage this? According to AKG Nair, executive director, Pearl Academy, since most of the fabric and yarn are sourced from India, it makes sense to employ Indians as merchandisers. “Also, Indian designers have established themselves in the field of fashion,” he says.
Neighbours Nepal, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Sri Lanka have turned out to be sourcing hubs for fabric, but India alone provides skilled manpower. This has inspired the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) to include fashion technology in the curriculum.
Some students give themselves a leg-up by acquiring degrees from international institutions: Domos Academy in Italy is quite popular in this context.
Pearl’s Archana Kalra got an associate diploma from Melbourne Institute of Textiles, Australia and a master’s course in clothing and textiles from the University of Akron, Ohio.
All the degtrees and education does not come cheap as it costs £5,000 per annum to pursue a BA Honors in Fashion Technology in India, it takes £40,000 if done in England. Not counting living expenses.
Edward Newton, visiting professor, Institute of Textile & Clothing, Hong Kong, says that earlier the western world looked at India because it was the cheapest. “Now they have increasingly realised that India is the best,” he says. |
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