Career prospects
You master every aspect of textile materials, innovative production methods, collection development, purchasing, sales, and, crucially, entrepreneurship. Your expertise in products and materials will make you an essential bridge between designers, manufacturers, and buyers of clothing and textiles. With your diploma, you can apply to both national and international textile and clothing companies.
- This study programme is accredited by NVAO
Job opportunities
With your qualifications you can choose from a wide range of professions. You could, for example, become:
As a buyer for companies such as Karl Lagerfeld or Rev'it, you will curate collections from various brands. This role requires strong collaboration skills, a keen understanding of market trends, and the ability to handle stress effectively. You should be up-to-date with current trends, have a deep understanding of consumer needs, and possess expertise in textiles and business economics. Your job involves frequent travel and ensuring that all purchased items are delivered to stores on time.
As a buyer for a brand you will be travelling a lot to visit suppliers. With the designer you look at the new collection. Then you buy the fabrics for it and check if the samples meet the requirements. As the link between the designer and the producer your knowledge about textiles, the market and the buying process is indispensable.
As a Materials Engineer you look for possible new products or materials. You spend a lot of time in the laboratory, are well aware of the latest developments and of what is happening in the market. You are in regular contact with partners, research institutes, suppliers and clients. You could work at a research center or a company like TenCate of Rev'it.
As a product developer you are the connection between designer, factory and sales. You develop the collection with the designer, look at the financial feasibility with the sales department and discuss with the factory how the product can be made. You also assess the first samples of a new product. Sometimes you will see 4 or 5 samples before a garment is approved for production.
As a merchandiser you have a mainly financial responsibility. You think about questions like ‘how many are we buying, do we have enough budget to do that, where can we cut back and how much will we be left with per product?’ Merchandisers cooperate closely with the buyer/product developer and the production coordinator. If you are stress-resistant and love numbers as much as you love fashion this is the job for you.
Garment technician
Sales
Entrepreneur
Designer
Sustainability manager
Which companies could you work at?
You could work for big webshops like Asos and Zalando. Or for brands that design their own collections, such as ZARA, H&M, Karl Lagerfeld, Nike and Adidas. And what about companies like G-Star, Tommy Hilfiger or the Dutch company HEMA?
There are also opportunities with technical companies: you might develop new tent fabrics at Nomad, analyze the recyclability of KLM uniforms, or improve motorcycle suits for Rev'it. Additionally, you could explore how sustainable fabrics are woven at Enschede Textielstad.
Further education
Would you like to continue your studies after the F&TT degree programme? You can choose from various master programmes, including Saxion’s Master in Innovative Textile Development. It’s also possible to study for a master degree in another European city, focused on the commercial, technical or creative aspects. And if your aim is to sharpen your business sense the post-bachelor programme BK5 is a good option.