While the domestic market is still lucrative for Niftians, fashion technology students whose degrees are equivalent to any other engineering degree find good breaks in manufacturing units abroad.
However, the type of jobs offered to fashion graduates differ in different countries. In the US and UK, where there is hardly any dearth of fashion designers, Indian designers are roped in as buyers because of their inherent knowledge of Indian fabrics and designs.
The role of the buyer is to visit countries like India and buy raw material for varied products. However, the route to the US, UK or Australia is not that easy. They first make their forte in lesser-developed countries like Spain, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.
After graduating from Nift, they go for smaller programmes lasting a few months in these countries. The Nift degree along with this experience gets them the opportunity to work for top international fashion labels. "Indian fabrics and designs are the rage abroad. That's why Indians and their designs are preferred in these countries," Sunder says. Some of the Niftians are also working in government textile and garment manufacturing plants in Spain.
