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- Work with designers and buyers to select the best fabrics for manufacturing clothing
- You'll develop specialist technical knowledge about fabrics and how garments are constructed
- You could progress into management roles or move into clothing design
As a garment technologist, you'll be responsible for choosing the most appropriate fabrics and designs for manufacturers to make clothes at a set cost.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Suggesting changes to clothing pattern designs
- Giving advice on suitable fabrics
- Making sure garments can be produced within budget
- Overseeing fabric testing and fittings of first samples
- Making sure that the correct garment construction methods are used
- Responding to product queries
- Analysing product returns and faults
- Producing quality control reports
- You'll work closely with designers, pattern cutters, graders and buyers
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You'll be based in a creative studio or office and may travel to visit customers, suppliers and manufacturers. You may sometimes need to visit overseas manufacturers.
You'll need
To be a garment technologist, you'll need attention to detail, initiative, verbal communication skills, flexibility and openness to change, and knowledge of maths and manufacturing production and processes.
You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in garment technology or fashion design.
You can start with a college course before applying for a job as a garment technology assistant, such as Fashion and Textiles, or Garment Technology for Fashion Retail.
You could get into this job through an advanced apprenticeship in apparel, or a fashion and textiles product technologist higher apprenticeship.
You may be able to start as a garment technology assistant after completing a qualification in fashion or textiles, then complete further training on the job to become a technologist.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience, you could progress to senior technologist, quality controller or technical manager. You could also move into research or teaching in a university.