On 15th March 2022, the students of the JD Institute of Fashion Technology Kamla Nagar campus got a chance to understand the real world of garment manufacturing with a visit to the BL International Export House. The day that marked the perfect balance between theory and practical knowledge witnessed the participation of 38 Jediiians. The Export house was visited by students from April 2021, August 2021, October 2021, and semester IV 2019 batches of our Kamla Nagar campus. Accompanied by Ms. Sanjeevni Goel, a faculty in the Fashion Design department, the students gained practical knowledge in the domain that helped them grasp the theoretical concepts better. 

The primary objective of this export house visit was to give the students a practical experience of the topics that they have previously studied in the institute. This visit gave them an idea of how things are carried out at a professional level in large organisations. Making this tour success was the guidance that they received from the export house staff. The export house organised a guided tour for them to make them understand the functioning of all the departments of the export house. The students learnt about the entire procedure of garment development in bulk scale for the exports ranging from ‘Cut to Finish’. The Jediiians gained first-hand knowledge and learnt about merchandising, sampling, production, quality control, and packaging.

With a legacy of 27 years, BL International is a preferred export house for many world-class fashion brands. Over the years it has become a reliable garment manufacturer, exporter, and supplier for many recognizable brands such as H&M, Vero Moda, Kazo, etc. all around the world. Having production bases in India and Bangladesh, they are known for their impeccable quality and work ethics. 

To quote one of the students, “the visit was awesome! We did learn all this in our fashion theory class but after observing the whole thing step by step now we are all clear how things work in export House.” The visit received a positive response from the group of students and their further interaction with the BL International team gave them insight into the process of garment manufacturing. This much-needed exposure of the students helped them realise the scope in the field and they were able to visualise their future and the industry requirements for the preferred roles.  

Concluding the experience, the field visit to BL International export house proved to be fruitful for the students. Their enlivened face beared witness to this tale of success and their positive feedback at the end of the visit added to our motivation.