WHAT KIND OF CAREER OPTIONS DO I HAVE AFTER FINISHING THE PROGRAM?
The textiles field is very versatile. One can work as a designer of interior or apparel fabrics in a studio connected to a manufacturing plant; for a company that contracts out manufacturing; for an apparel company; or as a freelancer with one’s own studio. Many RISD alumni start their own businesses, producing textiles from their own studios or teaming up with mills to produce industrially made fabrics. Quite a few of our graduates have also gone into teaching.

DOES THE DEPARTMENT HAVE A STRONG CONNECTION TO THE PROFESSIONAL FIELD, ARE COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS WITH THE TEXTILES INDUSTRY INTEGRATED INTO THE CURRICULUM?
Our alumni working in the field almost function as part of an extended department. They provide a direct link to the professional world, as do faculty and the department’s long-term supporters in the industry. All of these contacts help us in finding jobs, internships, speakers, visiting faculty and critics. In the past few years, students in the department have worked on collaborative projects with textiles companies, partnering with DesignTex and Wearbest, for instance, to design a collection of contract fabrics. During the 2007–08 academic year, a collaboration with the Italian Trade Commission has RISD students from Apparel and Textiles working together in teams.