For the first time, Cornell's Department of Fiber Science & Apparel Design (FSAD) sponsored an international trip for students: Thirteen students and four faculty members spent Jan. 4-18 visiting Mumbai, Surat, Coimbatore and Hyderabad, touring textile and apparel production facilities ranging from a Mumbai designer's workshops and boutique to factories engaged in all aspects of textile and apparel production.

"Highlights included visits to a hand embroidery workshop, commercial weaving, dyeing and printing operations, commercial knitting, a cotton processing and spinning mill, and an ikat dyeing and handweaving cooperative," said Charlotte Jirousek, FSAD associate professor, who coordinated the trip with FSAD senior extension associate Charlotte Coffman. "The students were able to see high-level manufacturing operations for export as well as more modest operations manufacturing goods primarily for domestic production, and were able to observe the many complex issues facing this industry, including worker training and retention, factory conditions, water shortages, environmental impacts, international competition and other challenges."

The FSAD students were part of Cornell's International Agriculture and Rural Development (IARD/CALS) field trip to India, which has been going on for 10 years, and participated in its pre-trip course, IARD 4020: Agriculture in the Developing Nations this past fall and will follow up this spring, reflecting on their experiences in IARD 6020: International Agriculture and Rural Technology.

"Being told in class how a shirt or a pair of pants is made was made into reality on this trip. ... Seeing all of the machines and processes we learned about in FSAD 1350 just made everything click," wrote Rachel Kuhns '13 on the trip's blog at http://2011iard6020.wordpress.com/. "This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it is so unreal all of the amazing adventures and places we were able to go. Namaste!"

In-country financial support was provided by the father of Karishma Khaitani '10, Ajit Khaitani, who works in the textile and apparel industry and made many of the site visit arrangements. Assistant Professor Juan Hinestroza and extension associate Fran Kozen were also on the trip.