I stumbled-upon the Clothing and Textile Sciences programme at a study/careers expo when I was in seventh form at school. I was involved in a lot of sport and through that involvement, developed an interest in the technical aspects of clothing and textile items such as outerwear for skiing and snowboarding or gear for tramping.
Invariably our interaction with the wider environment is influenced by what we wear and issues that arise from this interaction are often exacerbated during sport or other physical activity. Without being able to articulate it at the time, that's what I had a rough idea I was interested in and it turns out that studying Clothing and Textile Sciences set me up quite ideally to follow that interest. I took a paper in physiology during my first year of study and, for what I wanted to do, quickly saw the benefit of also understanding the human body.
I combined my study in Clothing and Textile Sciences with Physiology at undergraduate level as a double major and with Exercise/Environmental Physiology at postgraduate level (MSc).
That's one of the good things about Clothing and Textile Sciences—such a broad range of other disciplines are genuinely relevant pairings. Subjects like chemistry, forensics, or microbiology if you're interested in the physical properties of textile products; statistics if you're interested by things like injury prevention, marketing if you like the sales/promotional side of things, and anthropology, psychology, or history if you're interested in social aspects of clothing and textiles.
I am currently working for the New Zealand Defence Force as a Technical Advisor within the Soldier Systems Equipment Management Group. Our group looks after equipment that falls within the 'soldier system' and includes things like combat clothing, body armour, packs, boots, personal support items, and helmets. The role is varied and spans providing technical advice where necessary, investigating defective or unsatisfactory items, liaising with others on various R&D projects, and meeting industry vendors.