Textile designers have to know how their design will translate when it is created on a loom. The colors in this case are not created by mixing inks or toners. The colors are in the yarn. They need to be able to visualize the way a color will play in a weave. They need to have a good eye for color balance, and they have to be able to create moods with color.
Color is very important.
CAD skills are highly prized in textile design, but so are color sense and a feel for graphic aesthetics. For textiles, color matching is the crux of it all. While skills from traditional graphic design programs are transferrable, textile designers need to have CAD technology as part of their skill set. They have to understand the CAD process. They need to be able to explore product ideas, visualize them, and then create clean images.