Competitiveness of the clothing and fashion industry in Europe, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises (the average company is family owned and employs 20 people), should come from innovative performance-enhanced sustainable products and processes as well as from an innovative market approach. Therefore the clothing and fashion industry must shift from a resource based industry to a knowledge based industry. This requires adapted course curricula and adequate circulation of knowledge across the different layers of organisation (industry, research and education)
The Bachelor of Fashion Technology as a professional needs personal abilities, entrepreneurial competences and technical capabilities to develop coordinated innovation projects on time according to economical, technical and societal needs. It was a challenging task to offer an environment where more extensive insights in product and process development and in organizing and entrepreneurship can be acquired and where knowledge can circulate between education and industry.