As India strengthens its position among global apparel sourcing hubs in a changing geopolitical environment, the Department of Fashion Technology at Sona College of Technology, Salem, is advancing as a leader in sustainable fashion innovation, textile research, and technical skill development.
Guided by the philosophy “From Loom to Label,” the department provides students with comprehensive expertise—from fabric manufacturing and textile engineering to design technology and fashion innovation.
The department is actively pursuing more than six research projects in areas such as advanced technical textiles, assistive textile technologies for differently-abled women, cotton waste upcycling, and loom waste minimization. Notably, its international collaborations include the FIBRE project, led by the University of Toronto in partnership with the University Health Network (UHN), focused on wearable smart textiles for healthcare applications.
Its NBA-accredited BTech programme has earned AICTE-CII Mentor status for strong industry-academia integration. The curriculum emphasizes experiential learning through in-plant internships and industrial visits, with courses covering Fashion Design and CAD, Sustainable and Eco-Textiles, 3D Virtual Fitting, and Technical Textiles. Over 60% of the faculty hold PhDs in fields such as smart textiles, garment automation, and apparel engineering.
Vice Chairman of Sona College of Technology, Chocko Valliappa, remarked: “By seamlessly blending technology and cutting-edge research with fashion and design, the Fashion Technology department has emerged as a cradle for industry-ready professionals, achieving 100% placement for every graduating batch over the last 17 years.”
The department has published more than 250 research papers in Scopus and SCI-indexed journals, with contributions from undergraduate students. These achievements have also propelled student teams to secure prestigious wins, including the first place in the Smart India Hackathon 2024 under the smart apparel category.