How to Become a Garment Technologist

About Garment Technologist

Garment Technologist is a professional who works through the various stages of clothing development. The garment technologist's role is to offer suggestions, guidance, and variations. Garment technologists make sure that the clothing fits properly and is of high quality. They handle all aspects of clothing production, including garment manufacturing, garment styling, operations, and maintenance. At the same time, it is critical for a garment technologist to be both innovative and skeptical. They should have the necessary talent as well as extensive work experience in the garment and fashion industries.

Garment Technology has become a highly competitive field as well as a viable career option. The particular industry in India is rapidly approaching its peak, making it one of the career options after senior secondary. The garment industry is characterised by fierce competition and a variety of challenges, compelling candidates as well as aspirants to develop specific professional and personal skills. Depending on the college, the course fee ranges from INR 6,000 to INR 1,00,000. The garment industry is expected to grow by 20% by 2025, making it a great place to work.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Garment Technologists

A garment technologist works on garment development from the beginning to the end, until the product is ready for sale. A typical garment technologist's job is to evaluate, suggest changes, and provide insight to ensure the garment fits perfectly.

The following are the general job responsibilities of a Garment Technologist that are common to all job roles and employers:

• They work with businesses and designers while considering their suggestions. They also choose the raw materials used in manufacturing and production
• Create management control systems to prevent any issues during the production process. System development is also carried out to guarantee accurate cost analysis and planning
• Trying out various clothing materials while matching customer needs for cost and quality. Using their measurement abilities, they design stylish clothing that is the right shape and size
• Design control system to guarantee the highest quality product while ensuring that production is coordinated and follows the schedule
  

Eligibility to become Garment Technologist

To become a successful garment technologist an aspirant must meet the basic requirements. Check out the eligibility criteria mentioned below that you must satisfy to become a Garment Technologist.

• The candidate must have completed class 12th or HSC from a recognised board of education.

• It is essential to possess at least a bachelor’s degree in garment technology, fashion design, fashion management or their equivalent course.

• With a master’s degree, a candidate gets access to more job opportunities.

• The basic skills of analytical thinking, eye to details, communication skills, creative skills and management skills should be prevailing in the candidate.

Types of a Garment Technologist

Below are listed three different categories of garment technologists:

Fashion Designer: A career in fashion design entails creating patterns and colour combinations that are remembered and admired by all. Everyday attire is worn, and fashion designers produce accessories to go with these outfits. The goal of a career as a fashion designer is to create clothing that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. In order to generate useful ideas and forecast the future, a career as a fashion designer requires research into past and present trends. Fashion designers research design trends and create sketches. To choose fabrics and trims, fashion designers must attend trade shows and meet with manufacturers.

Footwear Designer: A creator of fashionable, original footwear ideas. They used a variety of elements to bring style to a walk, including patterns, designs, creativity, colours, and more. Their research results in shoes that are popular with customers and are highly valuable. Footwear designers are particularly fascinated by shoes, and the ability to specialise in various consumer, style, or shoe functions makes this area of fashion design particularly dynamic. They must make a shoe model in order to demonstrate design concepts and key features. In order to create effective shoes that become a fashion statement, they must continuously experiment with colours and fabrics.

Textile Engineer: A textile engineer is a specialist who has completed undergraduate study in textile engineering or a closely related field. He or she started out working in textile factories or related fields. In order to ensure that work is completed effectively, those who choose to pursue careers as textile engineers perform a variety of tasks. He or she controls the passage of time, determines how much labour is necessary, and decides what technology will be applied. In order to produce the best product possible without error, he or she monitors the workers' actions.

How to Become a Garment Technologist?

Candidates can become garment technologists by taking the following steps:

Step 1: Clear 10+2

The students must successfully complete the 10+2 programme in physics, chemistry, and math with a minimum cumulative score of 50% or its equivalent from a recognised board.

Step 2: Entrance Exams

Before accepting students for admission, several colleges hold entrance exams. Students must pass their 10+2 with at least a 50% grade in order to be eligible to take the entrance exam. There are additional colleges and universities that base admissions on a cut-off grade-point average for the 12th grade. The well-known entrance exam for candidates seeking to become garment technologists is listed below.

Popular Undergraduate Programme Entrance Examination

Step 3: Bachelor Degree

Garment Technologists work in the textile industry. To work as a Garment Technologist in the industry, a bachelor's degree is required. There are several bachelor level degrees that are useful for working as a Garment Technologist.

Popular Bachelor’s Degree Courses

Step 4: Post Graduation Degree 

Students with a bachelor's degree have several options for furthering their careers. We have listed the two most popular options below to make it easier for students to choose a career path.

Option 1: The applicants can apply for entry-level positions. They can advance in the domain of garment technology as they gain work experience.

Option 2: The applicant can pursue a master's degree in garment technology. He or she may pursue a master's degree.

Popular Master’s Degree Courses

Types of Job Roles Garment Technologist

Check out the type of job roles a garment technologist can search for after entering the battleground.

Apparel Designer: An apparel designer conceptualise an idea and design items of clothing accordingly.

Garment Technologist: A garment technologist is involved in all the garment manufacturing stages. The basic responsibilities are to suggest ideas and changes so that the final product is free of errors.

Apparel Quality Controller: An apparel quality controller is responsible for the quality standards of apparel since the start. It is the duty of an apparel quality controller to look after the quality of the garment since sourcing the raw materials to finishing it.

Pattern Maker: They either design the pattern for garments through freehand or through CAD software. Through the knowledge of fabrics, sewing skills and alterations, a pattern maker designs the pattern on a garment.

Fashion Trend Forecaster: A fashion trend forecaster predicts the prevalent trends and looks at the upcoming ones. They predict the success of the style before it even gets released.

Grader: A grader working in the fashion industry is involved with pattern grading, garment costing, liaising with overseas factories and designers.

Retail Buyer: A retail buyer keeps an eye on current inventory, supply chain, sales trends and customer needs when deciding what to buy and sell through their company. They keep a track of expenditures, inventory and deliveries.
 

Employment Opportunities for Garment Technologist

Captured here are the employment opportunities a garment technologist come across after finishing the education.

• Fashion Industry

• Media Houses

• Designer Stores

• Production Houses

• Entertainment Industry

• Jewellery Houses

• Sports

• Freelancer
   

Top Recruiting Companies for Garment Technologist

Find out the top recruiting companies that hire garment technologists and their related profiles mentioned below.

• ITC Wills Lifestyle

• Allen Solly

• Levis

• Pantaloons

• Louis Phillipe

• Provogue

• Mufti

• Raymond

• BIBA

• Park Avenue

• Peter England

Skills Required for a Garment Technologist

To be a successful Garment Technologist, one must constantly improve his or her skills in order to stay ahead of the competition. The following list includes some of the abilities necessary for a successful future:

Benefits of Career as a Garment Technologist 

In India, an entry-level garment technician can expect to make between INR 2,46,000 and INR 3,30,000 LPA. With time and the appropriate field knowledge, the salary alone is lucrative and higher than any entry-level position, and it can even go as high as INR 11,50,000 LPA. Despite being attractive, the annual salary package is heavily influenced by a number of different factors, including levels, skills, work experience, qualifications, and location.

It is anticipated that employment opportunities for garment technologists will increase by 5% over the next five years (by 2025); this growth rate is fast and steady when compared to that of other occupations. India's textile industry is booming, and the steady expansion helps to increase demand for these people. Increasing job opportunities also bring increased job security. Many different industries, including the fashion industry, media companies, production companies, designer stores, and the entertainment industry, employ garment technologists.

The position of a garment technician comes with authority, and your thoughts and opinions are taken seriously and given weight, which boosts self-confidence. The work is challenging, so it never gets boring. You have to oversee important processes, which is rewarding in and of itself. A career in apparel technology helps you develop your personality and helps you grow overall on a professional and personal level.

Lastly, both employees and employers can benefit from the challenging nature of the work and the constant need for innovation, creativity, and new ideas.

Pay Scale/Salary of Garment Technologist

Displayed below in a tabulated format is the salary a garment technologist and its similar profile extract after entering the professional world.

Note: The salary mentioned above varies from person to person and organisation to organisation. It is liable for any changes.
 

Books & Study Material to Become Garment Technologist

An aspirant is required to keep his/her knowledge up to date in order to taste success as a garment technologist. Check out the books you can consider in order to polish your skills and expand your knowledge.

• Garment Manufacturing: Processes, Practices and Technology by Gerry Cooklin

• Garment technology for fashion designers by Gerry Cooklin

• Smart Clothes and Wearable Technology by J. McCann and D. Bryson

• Manikins for Textile Evaluation Edited by Rajkishore Nayak and Rajiv Padhye

• Carr and Latham's Technology of Clothing Manufacture Revised by David J. Tyler
   

Pros of becoming a Garment Technologist

• As a garment technologist, your ideas and opinions are given weightage and are considered sincerely.

• A garment technologist has a variety of processes to look after which never makes the job boring or monotonous.

• With a good understanding of manufacturing capabilities and techniques, an individual can grow profoundly in the field of the garment.
   

Cons of becoming a Garment Technologist

• Having too many processes to look after makes the work of a garment technologist chaotic and he/she always have to be on the toes.

• A garment technologist is responsible for quality as well as quantity of the product which makes even a minute mistake a big deal.

• It requires a proper understanding of the processes involved in garment manufacturing. You cannot see much growth in your career as a garment technologist if you lack the will to learn new things and accept new challenges.