Textile Designing
Textile industry plays an important role in the economic development of the country in view of its tremendous growth and employment potential. The human beings have been using cloths from time immemorial for protecting their body from heat and cold. The use of fabric/cloth has undergone drastic changes in texture, colour, style and trend. The textile industry is passing through a series of change after the introduction of synthetic fiber / mill cloth. The mill cloths have become a big competitor to the hand woven fabrics made from hand looms. But hand woven fabrics are much demanded for making certain textile based products like curtain cloths, table mats, towels, bed spreads, etc. The hand loom industry is rural based and provides employment to thousands of weavers all over the country. The skill, experience and craftsmanship of Indian handloom weavers have been widely appreciated all over the globe. Most of the exquisite hand loom products exported from Kerala are sarees, bed spreads, handkerchiefs, dhoties, towels, etc. The handloom industries are located mainly in places like Kannur, Kuthambully, Chennamangalam, Balaramapuram, etc.
Khadhi fabric is also used to make dress materials like shirts, dhoties, kurtas, pyjamas, sarees, etc. Other textile fabrics include silk and jute. Silk dress materials are being made mostly in the states like Karnataka, Tamilnadu, UP and Kashmir. Jute fabric is also another eco-friendly material that is used to make textile products such as sarees and other fabric accessories like cloth bags, bed spreads, floor coverings, carpets, wall hangings, lamp shades, letter pouches, apron, etc.
Nowadays, textile designing is another area which is getting wide publicity and acceptance in the global market. Saree designing is one of the area in which a lot of new and innovative designs have come up in recent times. Many new designs have been introduced in other products like kurties, dupattas, nighties, chollies, bed spreads and pillow covers, etc. Textile products mixed with contemporary and modern designs are also becoming popular with the consumers. Textile industry makes use of different production techniques like Hand / Machine embroidery, batik, tie and dye, applique, patch work, block printing, screen printing, vegetable printing, surface ornamentation/ embellishment (bead work, shell work, sequence work, stone work, mirror work, etc.) on fabrics to make them attractive and market oriented.
In the modern era fashion design industry relies more on market sales. The mass market caters to a wide range of customers who require ready to wear cloths in large quantities and standard sizes. The Computer Based Designs (CAD) of textile products too have great demand in the market. The National Institute of Designs (NID) & National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) have largely contributed to the growth and development of textile industry in our country. Professional designers working with textile units introduce new fashions, trends, styles, colour schemes / patterns, etc to suit export market.
The women folk can earn a descent living by utilizing textile art / garment making as a full time vocation. They can also use their spare time to supplement their earnings. Person with little aptitude can acquire the skills early by undergoing the six months training course. The course curriculum is designed to acquaint the learner with the various aspects of textile technology. The modular approach of the course can help in upgrading the skills of those who are already working in the field. The training course has also been aimed at training persons on specific needs (need based) of the employer and to take up self employment. Accordingly, Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP), Personality Development have also been integrated with the curriculum.