Careers in Textile Design

Textile design, as an integral part of fashion industry, is a promising and remunerative career option one can look out for. As a creative and inventive career option, textile design offers all who wants - glamour, money, and popularity. With the increasing popularity of fashion knowledge, textile design courses have become well-known and conducted in various premier institutions of India, to meet the growing needs of Indian textile products, both in domestic and international markets. Those with creative ingenuity and technical skills can hope for a wide gamut of job opportunities in this innovative industry. Textile design comprises both surface design and structural design. Textile designers are responsible for handling fabrics and different methods of textile designing, like embroidery designs, print, weave and texture, and retailing and wholesaling of products.

Course Details
A number of different courses are offered in textile design at degree, diploma, postgraduate diploma, and certificate levels. For degree and diploma courses, the minimum eligibility is 10+2 pass, or equivalent, in any stream. Diploma programs vary from 2-4 years of duration, depending upon the course structure of the precise institute. For postgraduate programs, the minimum qualification is graduation in textile design and allied subjects. Besides, 4-year professional diploma courses are also open to graduates or diploma holders in art and design, architecture, or related disciplines. Courses are also available for a 10th pass student, like 3-year professional diploma course in dress designing and garment manufacturing, by some reputed institutes. Most institutions enroll students through entrance tests, conducted by the institute concerned. Specialized courses in textile design are also offered at postgraduate level.

Career Prospects
With growing market potential for textile products, there is a wide range of career opportunities for textile designers. They can take up full-time jobs in garment manufacturing companies, fashion designing agencies, textile manufacturers, and the retail world. They can also be hired by a professional textile designer. Export houses also employ a number of textile designers. Growing opportunities are found with government sponsored and private silk, handloom, khadi, jute, and craft development organizations. With some experience, textile designers can work as freelancers by providing their designs to different organizations.

Top Colleges Offering UG/PG/Other Courses
There are several institutes in India which offer courses in textile design. Some leading ones among them are: National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) at Bangalore, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and New Delhi; JD Institute of Fashion Technology at Mumbai, New Delhi, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, and Nagpur; National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad; Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai; National Institute of Fashion Design at Chandigarh and Kolkata; Pearl Academy of Fashion at New Delhi and Jaipur; Srishti School of Design, Bangalore; Symbiosis Centre of Design, Pune; Arch Academy of Fashion, Art & Design, Jaipur; Apeejay Institute of Design, New Delhi; Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai; Raffles Design International, Mumbai; and Army Institute of Fashion Design, Bangalore.

Remuneration
Textile designing is a highly remunerative career option. Fresh graduates from textile design schools can earn Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000 per month. With some experience, the salary can increase two fold. Experienced textile designers can draw Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 40,000 per month in export houses. Freelance textile designers also have good opportunities to generate huge revenues, depending upon the nature of their assignments.