Professor Mohammad Javed is a professor in the Fashion & Textiles Department, NIFT Mumbai, with a vast experience in the field of fashion and textiles.
TEXTILE VALUE CHAIN has taken an EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Prof Mohammad Javed
Tell us about your educational qualifications. What motivated you to complete your studies till PhD degree? And why did you choose this stream?
I am a postgraduate from National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad. Advanced Professional Education (AEP) in Master of Design with specialization in Textile Design. Graduate of IIHT Salem in Handloom & Textiles with Post Diploma in Textile Chemistry. At present, I hold a PhD (H), a full time PhD research work is in progress.
Design as a stream has always been a natural inclination, right from my childhood. Drawing and sketching was something that I have always enjoyed doing. Needless to say, the curiosity coupled with my interest in design led me to NID. Cracking NID was a mammoth task in itself. For me personally, perseverance & self-confidence were the two key factors in being able to make it.
I have been associated with NIFT as an Associate Professor since 2008. Holding the responsibilities of a Centre Coordinator with the Department of Textile Design, UI- Projects and Nodal Officer admissions at NIFT Mumbai.
I have co-authored a book on “Woven Textiles” for the standard XI, published in 2013 by CBSE Board New Delhi.
Before joining as an academician, I worked in the Fashion and Textile industry(‘92-’96) as a
Textile Designer & Design Manager. I was also an Assistant Professor at NIFT Mohali (set up in collaboration with NIFT Delhi), under the Department of Industries, Government of Punjab from 1996 to 2000. In 2000, I joined NIFT Hyderabad under TDD department as one of the founding members. I was also appointed as the Principal at Apparel Training & Design Centre (ATDC), Mumbai under the aegis of Apparel Export Promotion Council, New Delhi. I have more than 25 years of experience. I have publications in the area of advancement in Textile Design in national journals.
As a part of being an academician, research is an integral part. How do you develop a research temperament or what motivates you to carry out research in your labs?
In most cases, research is motivated by problem-solving intent. Some may say it’s desired for personal intellectual satisfaction, professional developmental reasons. Research in design & education holds a cardinal place. Research promotes progress. Progress has always been a humongous motivational factor in human history. At NIFT, research plays a fundamental role in educating the students as well as the industry in large. Frequent industrial visits and studies in the areas of craft, fashion and textile design. and through the Graduation project carried out by our final year students which also helps some time in deciding the areas of research.
All academicians may not be having temperament for research. There should be a customized approach to motivate academicians to do research based on the expertise of the individuals.
Would you like to share some interesting incidents/ instances that happened with you while working as a consultant to different industries or while teaching a batch of students?
As I stated above at NIFT we are encouraged to carry out live classroom projects in association with the related fashion and textile industries. I have done many projects, out of which let me just give some examples. As part of the classroom project, I was handling a project sponsored by the Bombay dyeing ltd., Mumbai wherein they provided the student an opportunity to develop a print design collection for their printed home linen department. The student had carried out the research on colour and living rooms trends via market surveys and presented it to the team of Bombay dyeing, they selected the design and it was printed and introduced in the market as well, this gave a sense of satisfaction to the students as they could see their creation being sold in the market.
Bombay dyeing ltd., have also given the students an opportunity to work for a fashion show during the college fiesta. Ready home fashion fabrics like bed linens, comforters, towels and other home furnishings provided by them were used as material to drape as garments. The students very creatively made an impressive line of collection which were presented on the ramp/fashion show. “Draping the dreams” brand on the ramp, modelled by themselves with the choreography, lighting done by them too during the fiesta at NIFT Mumbai campus. The students had great learning through this intervention by Bombay dyeing ltd. As the wiser of the bunch, teachers need to build trust with their students and work on their creativity and develop skills in them day after day. By doing so we are building an effective communication channel not only between ourselves and our students but also with their parents.
Second project that I did as a part of the classroom project was with the Bombay Rayon Fashion Ltd., (BRFL), Tarapur, Boiser, Mumbai. Wherein BRFL provided students with the project brief. High quality linen yarns were provided. A team of experts headed by the Senior Design Manager Mr. Sarnath Satpute interacted with the students throughout the project. The project was challenging since the material was very fine. The students had problems handling the same.
The yarn used to break whilst warping and weaving due to its fineness. Eventually we had to get the yarns which were sized, had strength and ones that could last through the entire process. The design development was done on the desktop loom by the students. The end result was exciting! We presented more than 400 different textile swatches of varied patterns and colour combinations as beautiful fine stripes and checks. This created a library of reference materials for BRFL’s workable warp and weft patterns.
The third project that I did was with Asahi Kasei (India) Japan. This was an inter- classroom project wherein the students of Textile Design, Master of Design, Master of Management and Fashion design were combined as different groups.
They were assigned different research projects in retail and design research. The end result was very exciting as the students were able to learn in a group, interact among themselves on various topics, understand the nuisances and complexities of working in a group. This prepares them for future work and to develop team spirit which is critical in any industry. We remain thankful to Asahi Kasei (India) Ltd., for the industry cum academic link project.
What are the major differences in the industries earlier and now? Tell us about the work ethics as well apart from the technological advancements.
There are many different approaches you can use in your classroom. Which ones will work best depends on you and your student abilities, as well as your schedule. Many teaching strategies work for a said classroom, no matter what the age of the industry earlier or now. Interactive sessions with the students in each of the subjects that I teach, coupled with regular industry visits have greatly helped me in keeping abreast with the new advancement in digital technology and bringing the same in the classroom without any hindrance. When a teacher implements a combination of effective teaching strategies, their students have more opportunities to perform better in the class.
How do you teach/ inform your students about the latest developments in the industry and make them ready for working in the industry?
I believe I have answered the same in the above question however to prepare students for the 5.0 Industrial Revolution, as a teacher, one must prepare for transition into being facilitators of learning beyond one’s personal expertise. One should allow technology to support student flexibility in gaining skills and pursuing passions.
How do you think the pandemic has affected the education system? Tell us both the pros and cons.
The pandemic caused shocks to the system with institutes being forced to shut. Then came changing and transitioning of students and teachers to online teaching-learning. In India, around 250 million students were affected due to school/colleges/institutes closures at the onset of lockdown induced by COVID-19.
It allowed students in cyber classes to promptly communicate with professors and peers. Students were then exploring situations where the convenience of online learning supersedes the face time required in traditional courses. Another advantage was the ease of participation in virtual classrooms.
The silver lining, COVID has helped all of us in upgrading the digital platform for the effectiveness of transferring knowledge – both theoretical and practical. With COVID disappearing the colleges have now resumed. Traditional classroom processes have started but the digital platform that we have learnt has also been incorporated for ease of dissemination of both knowledge and skills.
How are management studies important for Fashion/Textile students? How does it help in increasing productivity?
All of us understand that the business of fashion involves a long chain of processes. Design is just one of the many processes that take place in a business environment. Fashion Management therefore deals with the business side of things. You can see a Fashion Management candidate at macro-micro processes involved in the business cycle. Simply put design & management have somewhat symbiotic functioning. The learning at the college ensures that a product or service related to good design in fashion and textile is available to buyers at the right time and the right place so that retailers make the most out of it. It is an amalgamation of product development, merchandising, pre-post sales service, buying, planning, etc.
Designing is an area in which there is a high chance of the designs/ patterns becoming monotonous. What according to you can help in bringing novelty and uniqueness in fashion designing/ textile designing?
We humans by nature get bored easily, when a trend reaches its saturation point, we begin to observe a decline in interest. This is exactly where the designers come in to bring back the excitement. The trends and colour forecast helps in changing the entire mood of the customer by introducing the new themes/stories and colour boards every season. This is carried out by studying the customer psychology & buying pattern. This helps in introduction of the new collections in the market via fashion shows, brand ambassadors, celebrities and by influencers which brings freshness and mental satisfaction in the minds of the buyers.
What are some measures that need to be taken as a part of Quality Management in Fashion?
As part of the education, the quality parameters in apparel/garment are taught and through industry visit and internship it is ensured that they learn complete quality management systems. A garment manufacturing quality management system (QMS) is related to a quality control and assurance system that documents (quality manual) processes (Online and offline), procedures, system, planning, responsibilities, and tasks for achieving quality goals and policies to meet buyer requirements.
What is your take on Neuro-marketing and Strategic Management?
The entire trends forecast and segmented product research is based on Neuro-marketing. It is used for market research, studying consumers’ sensorimotor, cognitive, and affective responses to marketing stimuli. Based on the research data & combining strategic management skills, product development decisions as well as important marketing decisions are made. Neuro-marketing brings about tricks, biases & behavioural statistics in a researched manner. It is among the most potent tools available to mankind.
What would be your suggestions for start-ups in the fashion technology/ apparel manufacturing sector? How can these ventures grow, considering the immense competition that lies in this sector?
This Includes companies involved in selling and buying of fashion products which by definition includes apparel, footwear, jewellery, bags, watches, eye wear and other accessories. Here’s how to start a clothing business in nine steps: Find Your Niche, Know Your Audience, create a Marketing Plan, Name Your Brand and Create Brand Assets, Register Your Business, Design and Source Your Products, Price Your Products, Distribute Your Products.
The age-old golden rule is to provide the right product, at the right price, at the right place, to the right audience & through the right medium (online, off-line, multi/omni-channel). Also it goes without saying but one must be innovative in their approach & should have clear USP’s.
What are the parameters that an apparel manufacturer must consider before launching a product? How can he/she tap the market and cater to the different variety of customers?
Apparel production and manufacturing units should implement some key factors to success. Buyer’s demand for higher value at lower price is driving the need for maintaining optimum efficiency levels, effective Factory layout for ease of work flow, Technology, Training and HR, Information technology tools, Buyers’ tie-ups, Customer service and regular new Product design and development.
How essential is marketing for a product? What are some innovative ways of marketing your products?
Mostly, advertising, publicity and sales techniques are considered as marketing. This is based on the belief that marketing begins after the product or service is designed, produced and is ready for sales and delivery. Advertising, publicity and selling are all parts of marketing. The trend that stands out for me & is taking the world by storm on social media is content marketing & Influencer marketing. Some creative marketing ideas for small businesses may be through Hosting a social media competition, sharing user-generated content on social media, making video tutorials, jumping on trending topics, Partner with other small businesses, give quirky product recommendations, collect customer feedback, Enter local awards etc.
