Salem: As India ascends among global apparel sourcing hubs in a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape, the Department of Fashion Technology at Salem-based Sona College of Technology is making strategic strides to position itself as a leader in sustainable fashion innovation, cutting-edge textile research, and technical skill development.

Reflecting its philosophy of “From Loom to Label,” the department equips students with end-to-end expertise—from the fundamentals of fabric manufacturing and textile engineering to the latest in design technology and fashion innovation.

The department is currently engaged in more than half a dozen research projects in areas such as advanced technical textiles, assistive textile technologies for differently-abled women, cotton waste upcycling, and loom waste minimisation.

These projects have secured an estimated funding of ₹5 crore from bodies including the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), SIDBI, and the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

Among its international collaborations, the FIBRE project—being executed by a dozen partners at the University Health Network (UHN) with the University of Toronto in the lead—stands out for its cutting edge research on wearable smart textiles for healthcare applications.

The department’s NBA-accredited BTech programme has been recognised with the AICTE-CII Mentor status, owing to its robust industry-academia connect. The curriculum is deeply experiential, offering students hands-on training through in-plant internships and industrial visits.

Academic excellence is underpinned by a focused curriculum that covers Fashion Design and CAD, Sustainable and Eco-Textiles, 3D Virtual Fitting, and Technical Textiles. These subjects are taught by highly qualified faculty, over 60% of whom hold PhDs in domains such as smart textiles, garment automation, and apparel engineering.

Chocko Valliappa, Vice Chairman of Sona College of Technology, stated, “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 impact of the department’s innovation efforts is evident in its eight granted patents out of a total of 24 filed, including an assistive sewing machine designed for women with locomotor disabilities, which has generated ₹5 lakh in revenue.

The department has also published over 250 research papers in Scopus and SCI-indexed journals, many of which feature contributions by undergraduate students. These academic achievements have propelled student teams to win prestigious competitions, including the top position in the Smart India Hackathon 2024 under the smart apparel category.

Fostering a strong start-up culture, the department has facilitated MSME-supported student enterprises focused on sustainable fashion solutions.

Graduates have been placed with leading employers such as Aditya Birla, Decathlon, Himatsingka Seide, Homecentre, H&M, KKP Fine Linen, Loyal Textiles, Pearl Global, Reliance, Sakthi Knitting, Shahi Exports and Louis Philippe. Many alumni have taken on leadership roles in global fashion and textile firms, while others have pursued advanced studies at top institutions in India and abroad.

According to independent research studies, the Department of Fashion Technology at Sona College of Technology is ranked among the top 3 Fashion Technology colleges in Tamil Nadu and within the top 26 nationally.

Sona College of Technology, an autonomous institution under Anna University, has been awarded the highest accreditation grade of NAAC A++ by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous body of the University Grants Commission.

The CGPA score of 3.65 marks a significant improvement over its previous evaluation conducted five years ago, placing it among a select group of top-rated colleges.