Smart Skills
Apparel avenues
Usha Albuquerque

AT fashion shows, the only people that are noticed and feted are the fashion designers. Yet, much of the credit for the stylish lines and cuts of a fashion garment should go to the garment manufacturers — the professionals who actually ensure that every button and seam is sewn according to the requirements of the garment. The Indian garment industry is less than 20 years’ old, yet it is one of the fastest growing sectors with a multi-crore annual turnover. The size and scope of its operations have generated innumerable employment opportunities, not only for those involved in the design, but also those in the fabrication and marketing of clothing that is attractive and in tune with current fashions.

Garments are big business, and the competition is keen. The major segment of the industry concentrates on high-volume production and caters to the tastes of large numbers of people. With growing internationalisation, styles and colours in the market are being increasingly influenced by worldwide trends.

India has not yet built a reputation as an international fashion centre. A few gifted designers are, however, beginning to break into the world of haute couture. They retail their work through select outlets, usually under their own labels, in India and abroad. Moreover, as couturiers sell exclusively, only a limited number of pieces are made up per design. Production, therefore, is confined to very small units where the designers personally supervise the fabrication and marketing of their creations.

Ready for readymades

The biggest sector with the largest number of openings for new entrants is, therefore, in the readymade apparel sector. With the domestic market fast changing from tailored to readymades, the industry has been growing at a phenomenal 25 per cent per annum. Today, there are over 30,000 manufacturing units handling bulk production of which almost 70 per cent cater exclusively to exports. Several domestic companies have also tied up with foreign brands for manufacture in the country. The demand for technical trained manpower is therefore tremendous.

Most of the jobs in the industry cover a range of garments for a variety of markets and purposes. These include:

Women’s wear: Still the major segment in this market, and includes everything from undergarments to evening dresses.

Menswear: Is also a growing market, as men become more conscious of their appearance and the number of outlets catering to their needs is on the rise.

Children’s wear: Covers the range from baby clothes to teenage fashions that are often retailed at their own shops under appropriate brand names.

Sports and leisurewear: These are specialist areas in the lifestyle category with a growing market in India. This is a youthful, lively segment where new fabric developments strongly influence designs. Sales are usually through sports and hobby stores.

The domestic market is expanding fast and outlets for any of the above categories of clothing and accessories range from exclusive boutiques to market stalls to large departmental stores and chain stores.

There are also thousands of garment manufacturing units all over the country catering exclusively to the export market.

Work in garment manufacture covers all aspects of fabrication and large-scale production of garments. You can qualify as a garment technologist, who on the basis of a sample, plans how a garment will be made from seam and stitch types to the machinery that is required. Keeping the costs at every stage in mind, you may be sometimes required to work with the designer to modify a sample to make its production possible, as well as to ensure that designs, quality and costs meet the retailers' specifications. You are also expected to know about the working of large- scale sewing machines and garment stitching equipment.

Production managers and production assistants are responsible for the smooth running of production flow systems, and also ensure that the correct quality and quantity of raw materials are supplied on time. You can also work as pattern makers, converting sketches into an accurate pattern from which the garment may be cut, or as pattern graders, preparing standard size patterns into a range for different sizes. In addition, there are cutters, sewers and finishers who work on the different stages of a garment, while supervisors and checkers see that each job is carried out properly, within the right time-frame and according to established quality standards.

In smaller companies, a single individual may carry out several elements of the production process, which becomes more specialised in larger units.

Couture clues

Garment manufacture is a specialised field in the garment industry and requires skills that can only be acquired through professional training, although many still, learn on the job. You can join a training institute after plus two, although some courses expect candidates to have taken up science with maths, as the programmes includes technical aspects that require a background in science. You are also usually required to take an entrance test to gauge your ability and interest for the fashion industry.

There are some good institutions that offer training in production technology, where teaching is geared towards high volume manufacture and students are provided with an overview of domestic and international markets and fashion trends. Broadly, the curricula cover the development of a garment from the source of inspiration to the sale and marketing of the finished product. Technical aspects like fashion art, pattern making, garment construction and draping are also taught and practised.

The National Institute of Fashion technology in New Delhi, and its branches in Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad and Mumbai is the premier training institute for courses at the under-graduate and postgraduate levels in fashion technology. Other institutes include the Pearl Academy of Fashion, New Delhi, which also offers courses in apparel production management, and institutes such as the SNDT University, Mumbai and Bangalore Institute of Fashion Technology in Bangalore. There are also diploma and vocational courses in garment technology offered by several institutes including the JD Institute of fashion technology, in New Delhi, South Delhi Women’s Polytechnic, YWCA, New Delhi, Sophia College, Mumbai and several others.

Along with academic requirements, a visual imagination, manual dexterity, a sensibility for colour, fabric and style, an interest in the technology of fashion, an eye for detail and the ability to delegate and deal with people is also useful in this field.

With the increasing growth of the fashion and apparel industry and the mushrooming of lifestyle and clothing stores and retail malls, there is suddenly a big boom for those interested in working in this sector. There are jobs with domestic ready-to-wear production companies such as Raymonds, Louis Philipe, Colour Plus, and many others, large retailers/chain stores like Wills lifestyle, Westside, as well as export fabrication companies, and export houses handling merchandising. With some experience you can also set up a garment export unit.

You also need to keep in mind that the garment industry is not as glamorous as it might appear at first sight. It takes hard work, long hours and a fairly thick skin to cope with the keen competition to succeed. Quality control is a very important aspect of garment manufacture, and exporters in particular have to ensure that their consignment of garments meets the required standards — as the rejection rate can be high and costly.

But, the stimulation and challenges of a job that is at the cutting edge of the latest in fashion trends can be extremely satisfying. Moreover, the growth and momentum in the industry, ensures there is no monotony in the work undertaken.

While salaries depend on the size of the organisation, those from recognised institutes can expect to start at salaries between Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 per month, which can rise quite fast with a couple of years of experience.

Today, the demand for trained professionals in this industry far exceeds the numbers being produced by the training institutes. And as the demand for ready-to-wear continues to increase in both domestic and international markets a career in the fashion garment manufacture industry can give you an opportunity of taking a bow at the next fashion show.

The writer is a noted career expert