The garment industry, which has been an export oriented sector since the sixties, is currently being led by students who graduated from fashion and design.
With the launching of fashion/design as subjects of academia in 1996, the garment sector has seen a rapid expansion with huge potential.
Graduates of this discipline are also finding place in local fashion houses. Owner of Bishhorong, Biplob Saha, says: “after completing my education at the Institute of Arts, I began working with motif and fashion; now, many come to work with me after taking the proper degree from Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology and National Institute of Fashion Design.”
Owner of fashion house, Shaada Kaalo, Tahsina Shahin, also studied at the Institute of Fine Arts. She said: “when we were students, fashion as a subject did not exist in Bangladesh; now, times have changed; we currently have several designers with degrees in fashion.”
In the garment factories, preference is given to those with graduation (Honours) degrees.
Professor Kazi Shamsur Rahman of BGMEA University of Fashion Technology, says: “BGMEA Institute has been awarding Honours degrees in fashion since 2000 and this became a full blown university in 2013.”
In the last 18 years, around 6000 students graduated from this institute who are now leading the garment sector, he added.
“Not a single person with a degree from BGMEA Institute is unemployed.”
The same sentiment was aired by Monowara Begum of Shanto Mariam University of Fashion Design.
“Most of our students get job offers even before they complete their education.”
A student graduating from our university has a wide variety of work options available: textile expert, fashion stylist, fashion reporter, personal business, apparel merchandiser, teacher, factory manager, production manager, compliance manager etc.
Many of the students have their own boutiques, she added.
“Due to e-commerce, several students have opened their own Internet based boutiques, instead of running after conventional employment.”
Coordinator of the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Golam Rabbani, says that his organization has been giving graduation degrees in fashion since 2007.
“In the last 11 years, around 2000 students have graduated from the institute and most of them are working as specialists at garment or buying houses.”