A class in progress at Assam Textile Institute. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

March 2: With designers like Ritu Kumar, Ritu Beri, Rohit Bal, more recently Sabyasachi Chakraborty and homegrown Dipankar Kashyap becoming household names, fashion and textile designing has become a hot career option for today’s teenyboppers.

Thankfully, the students now have a destination — the city-based Assam Textile Institute will soon offer courses in garment technology.

Set up in 1920, the institute has been offering diploma and certificate courses in textile technology. “In tune with the changing market demands, we will soon start a course in garment technology,” said .K. Saikia, principal of the institute.

“We are also planning to start a course on fashion technology in keeping with the standards of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT),” he added.

The fashionistas have been making their presence felt in Assam for the past few decades. Gandhiji had even said that “Assamese women weave fairy tales on clothes.” However, the courses in garment and fashion technology are still in a nascent stage in the region.

Fashion designer Meghna Rai Medhi said, “This institute has a lot of potential as we can experiment with our yarns and fabrics. Often we go hunting for the right materials. The induction of these two courses will definitely help the students meet the market demands.”

Echoing her views, Saikia said, “The introduction of these courses in the curriculum will help our students branch out and specialise in any of these fields. This will also enable them to establish a foothold in the competitive market.”

There is a big lacuna in the field of textile designing in spite of the fact that the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is trying to convince the corporate giants to sponsor and promote exhibitions of traditional crafts and textile of the Northeast.

The CII is organising a Northeast textile fair in New Delhi in June to promote the loom and handicraft of the region, having recently released a catalogue on its crafts and handloom.

“We are still being given lessons in the outdated courses which were initiated by the British. After completing the course, we are at sea and have to learn the nuances of the garment and fashion industry all over again. It’s good that such courses are being introduced here,” said a student.

However, private institutes of the city are trying to bridge the gap by providing courses in fashion, garment and textile technology. Sumita Deka, administrator of International Institute of Fashion Technology (IIFT) said, “Very few people in Assam actually know the difference between fashion and textile designing. In fashion designing, you are designing the garment.”