The Textile and Fashion Department is part of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Tirana. Its activity started in 1968 with the Textile Branch in Berat as part of the Faculty of Engineering at University of Tirana with a 3 years part-time system. In 1980 it was named the Textile Chair at the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Faculty, University of Tirana, with a four and half years curricula of the Textile Engineer. In 1994 it was named the “Textile Department”, part of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty, Polytechnic University of Tirana. This Department covered the professional subjects for the Textile Engineer Diploma. During this period hundred of high specialists such as technology Engineer of the spinning, weaving, knitting and garment industry have been graduated in this branch.
At the beginning a small group of pedagogues has been graduated and specialized at the Polytechnic University of Lodz (POLONIA) such as Prof. Dr. Taxhedin Baholli, Ing. M.Sc. Kozma Xhero, Ing. M.Sc. Eva Budina, Ing. M.Sc. Shega Shapllo, Ing. Msc. Magdalena Ktona, etc. Then the staff was enriched with new professors qualified mainly at the Polytechnic University of Tirana and E.N.S.I.T. Mulhouse (FRANCE) such as Dr. Ing. Artan Sinoimeri, Dr. Ing. Arjan Greva, Dr. Ing. Albana Petrela.
The heads of Textile Department in years are as follows:
Ing. M.Sc. Kozma Xhero |
Head of Textile Chair |
1980 – 1987 |
Ing. M.Sc. Eva Budina |
Head of Textile Chair |
1987 – 1991 |
Ing. M.Sc. Shega Shapllo |
Head of Textile Chair |
1991 |
Dr. Ing. Albana Petrela |
Head of Textile Chair |
1991 – 1994 |
Dr. Ing. Albana Petrela |
Head of Textile Department |
1994 – 2001 |
Prof.Asoc.. Genti Guxho |
Head of Textile Department (actually holding the position of the Vice Dean of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty, PUT) |
2001 – 2008 |
Dr. Ing. Ermira Shehi |
Head of Textile Department |
2008 – on |
The history of Textile and Fashion Department is strongly linked with the enormous work of the teaching staff on the teaching plans and programs; teaching materials preparation; publishing, cooperation in national projects; preparation of the standards for fiber, yarn and clothes; students tutorship, etc. In the academic year 2005-2006 Department applied successfully the two levels system of graduation (Bachelor and Master).
“Bachelor” level is a three-year system and includes the following subjects:
The optional subjects in the second and third years will be decisive for the orientation of the textile engineer in the directions of:
Students of textile and fashion technology start to obtain general knowledge on textile technology in the 2nd semester of the 1st year continuing until 6th semester of the 3d year, concluding at the end of their studies with a thesis for “Bachelor” degree as well as the opportunity for more intensive studies in textile technology; garment & fashion or chemical oriented studies during the “Master” degree (2 years studies).
Important composing component of the Textile and Fashion Department are the four laboratories: The Physical-Mechanical and Chemical Laboratory (accredited according ISO/IEC 17025), Physical-Mechanical Laboratory for the carpets/upholstery; and Laboratory of Textile and Garment Production and Atelier of the Design and Modeling.
The knowledge and information obtained during this period of studies are supposed to better integrate the theory with the practice that our students should perform for a 3 months period in the textile and garment factories, fashion ateliers, shoe production factories as well.
The Physical - Mechanical and Chemical Laboratories of Textile are certificated by ISO/IEC 17025, to perform quality control on garments, textiles, yarn and textile fibers by Albanian Directorate of Standardization and later by the Albanian Accreditation Directorate. The technicians dealing with analysis and testing in our laboratories are certificated by this Directorate of Accreditation.
The academic activity of our Department is designed to be strongly linked to the scientific and research activity. The academic staff has actively been participating in many national projects funded by foreign institutions or Albanian government. Some of them are listed below:
1. Research study on the light industry situation in Albania (Ministry of Industry 1995)
Some of the international scientific projects where the Textile and Fashion Department has been involved are:
- Tempus JEP 2004-2006 – “Curricula development of the Mechanical Engineering Faculty in the framework of Bologna agreement”; Period: 2004-2006.
Textile and Fashion Department has both the human and equipment capacity to offer:
- Projects for textile and garment industries (actually participating in one large project).
The Textile and Fashion Department has cooperation and partnership with some international institutions such as: E.N.S.I.T. Mulhouse/France; University of Technology, Aachen/Germany; University of Ghent (Textile Department) Belgium; Politecnico di TORINO, Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Italy; Marmara University, Technical Education Faculty, Department of Textiles, ISTANBUL, Turkey; Textile Institute in UK, Textile Faculty of Zagreb, Croatia, Institute of Textile Texhnology in Pireus, Greece etc.
All the dedication and serious work of the Textile and Fashion Department staff members with the support of the respective university structures has been successfully concluded with the inclusion in July 2008 of our department in the well known network AUTEX of the teaching and scientific world institution in the textile field.
