NIFT at Design Mumbai Showcase 2024
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Mission Statement
Mission:
We at the National Institute of Fashion Technology will:
• Provide a transformative educational environment for talented young men and women to nurture their inventive potential and to acquire distinctive skills valuable to self, industry, and society.
• Offer a stimulating, modernistic, and evolving curriculum that spans the vast spectrum of India’s artistic heritage yet remains firmly contemporary, incorporating disruptive technologies
• Value and celebrate cultural and individual diversity in our students, faculty, and alumni, always emphasizing the power of fellowship.
• Be a global leader in the dissemination of innovative and project-based pedagogies in design, management, and technology for all facets of the textile, apparel, retail, and accessories industries, through the promotion of rigorous and cutting-edge research.
• Enable our faculty and students to have intensive interaction with educational institutions, fashion houses, start-up hubs, and corporations relevant to our programmmes.
• Bring forth graduates who stay committed to exacting standards of professional excellence and personal integrity
International Role
The academic strategy of NIFT embraces a global approach. The core activities of the institute have enhanced its international visibility and standing. NIFT has strategic agreements and partnerships with about 27 leading international fashion institutes and organizations that share the same academic direction, integrating NIFT students with the global mainstream of fashion. International collaborations allow students to experience ‘study abroad’ options through exchange programmes. This initiative provides an excellent opportunity to NIFT students, selected for the exchange programme, to interact with students from various geographies, encouraging them to broaden their vision and understand different cultures. The students can undertake the opportunity across NIFT campuses and all course disciplines. To provide an academic gradient, the institute’s international linkages allow the students to participate in international competitions/seminars/research/exhibitions and other events.
NIFT students at all campuses are encouraged to participate in international events and competitions. The students have participated in several prestigious international competitions such as Wool Mark 2017, Design competition organized by Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT), Beijing, Republic of China, Fashion Week 2017 Paris, Sweden India Novel Memorial Wall Painting organized by Swedish Embassy, New Zealand Runway organized by New Zealand Embassy, Wuhan International Competition, China, World of Wearable Art (WOW) Competition.
The institute also attracts international students who come and experience its academic and cultural richness. Through the exchange programmes, students from overseas institutes have developed valuable insight not just into Indian culture, arts GLOBAL CONNECT and crafts but have also understood the Indian market and its dynamics. The students of Management and Technology have had invaluable exposure to production techniques that cater to the high fashion demands of the global marketplace. The strategic alliances encourage academic enhancement at the faculty level as well. Faculty exchange and joint research initiatives ensure that the institute’s teaching methods and facilities are constantly updated and upgraded to be at par with the best institutes in the world. To facilitate the exchange of teaching pedagogy, concepts, and professional ideas, the faculty at NIFT participates in academic exchange programmes, international fairs, seminars, exhibitions, conferences, and trade shows thereby bringing their substantial experience to the classroom thus enriching the knowledge pool at NIFT.
LINKAGES Some of the key institutes with whom NIFT has an association are FIT, New York; Queensland University of Technology, Australia; De Montfort University, UK; Glasgow School of Arts, UK; Swiss Textile College, Switzerland; ENSAIT, France; NABA, Italy; The State University of New York College at Buffalo, USA; Manchester Metropolitan University, UK; ESMOD, Germany; Saxion University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands; Amsterdam Fashion Institute, Netherlands; Bunka Gauken University, Japan; Donghua University, China; BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology (BUFT), Bangladesh; Ecole Duperre, France; University of Northampton, UK; Politecnico di Milano, Italy; Shenkar College of Engineering & Design & Art, Israel; KEA – Copenhagen School of Design and Technology, Denmark; North Carolina State University, USA; Nottingham Trent University, UK; The Savannah College of Art and Design, USA, Massey University NZ and many more.
National Role
NIFT was set up in 1984, in order to fulfill a growing need for professionals specialized in the field of fashion. Since its inception under the Ministry of Textiles, the Institute has been a part of India's growth as a global apparel manufacturer and has played a vital role in the emergence of pioneers in Indian Fashion. It now stands as a prominent leader in the field of professional education combining design with management and technology. as well as developing vocational modules for government and non-governmental bodies. NIFT has been instrumental in setting up the Fashion Design Council of India which is a regulatory body for Fashion business and education.
NIFT creates a multidisciplinary professional environment for its students. Practical interactive instructions are conducted by trained and experienced faculty, using state-of-the-art infrastructure. The hands-on, collaborative learning at NIFT encourages national and international interaction. This approach results in a broader outlook, enhancing knowledge through experience and discourse, and raising the level of professional education.
Main Focus
The National Institute of Fashion Technology is a leader in fashion education that integrates knowledge, traditional arts, contemporary thought, academic freedom, innovations in design and technology, and creative thinking to continuously upgrade its curriculum to address the changing needs of the industry. Its history of more than three decades at the pinnacle of fashion education stands as a testimony to its focus on core values where academic excellence has been nurtured. The institute has stood as a beacon of industry-academia engagement and a key enabler in developing competent professionals.
The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), set up in 1986 under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, is a Statutory Institute governed by the NIFT Act 2006. Bringing in a wide range of aesthetic and intellectual orientations, the early instructors included leading progressive scholars from Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, USA. Academic inclusiveness has been the key thought in the expansion plans of the institute. NIFT, today, has spread its wings across the length and breadth of the country. Through its 19 professionally managed campuses, the National Institute of Fashion Technology provides an excellent environment to its students from different parts of the country to achieve their highest potential through the programmes offered. Since the early years of its inception, the institute has provided a firm foundation in fashion education in the domains of Design, Management and Technology. Since then, NIFT has continued to set and achieve higher academic standards.
Vision:
We at NIFT shall offer, at all our campuses, a learning experience of the highest standards in fashion pertaining to design, technology and management and encourage our remarkably creative student body to draw inspiration from India’s textiles and crafts while focusing on emerging global trends relevant to the industries we serve.
Faculties and Departments
DEPARTMENTS
At the Bachelors level NIFT offers the following degrees:
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Bachelor of Design (Programme: Fashion Design, Leather Design, Accessory Design, Textile Design, Knitwear Design, Fashion Communication)
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Bachelor of Fashion Technology with specialization in Apparel production
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At Masters level NIFT offers the following degrees:
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Master of Fashion Technology
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Master of Fashion Management
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Master of Design Space
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NIFT also offers Ph.D. programme (Estimated duration of study – 3 to 5 years)
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Around 12669 students are currently part of various courses at the Bachelor, Masters, and Ph.D. level in NIFT. And 452 Faculty members are part of the NIFT family across all 17 campuses. The admission dates of every year may be checked on www.nift.ac.in
Bachelor Level Programs
At the Bachelors level NIFT offers the following programme:
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Bachelor of Design (Programme: Fashion Design, Leather Design, Accessory Design, Textile Design, Knitwear Design, Fashion Communication)
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Bachelor of Fashion Technology with specialization in Apparel production
Master Level Programs
At Masters level NIFT offers the three programme:
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Master of Fashion Technology
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Master of Fashion Management
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Master of Design Space
Research Activity and Main Areas
RESEARCH at NIFT: Fundamental research is the core strength of NIFT, while applied research creates a strong symbiotic relationship with industry. NIFT’s research strategy addresses the need of industry through applied research in topical areas at Bachelor’s and Master’s level and the doctoral scholars address topics that are more fundamental in nature.
At the Doctoral level, research areas include pattern development, contouring, sizing, brand positioning, the role of ICT in fashion education, the sustainability of textile tradition in the country and training and capacity building of artisans. Research on ergonomically designed footwear for sewing operators, ergonomically designed workstation for hand embroiderers, pregnant garment industry workers have also been undertaken in the area of occupational health. – Some of the applied researches which challenge the stereotype machine functions and paves way for newer development that has been undertaken are- interchangeable lock and chain stitch sewing machine (patent application in process), convertible sewing machine bed, development of accident prevention device for an electric sewing machine, and non-evasive needle guard in the sewing machine.
Fashion Management research is also a very important area of intervention. The research involves market development for eco-friendly products, the impact of CSR on branding, sales forecasting, vendor evaluation, customer satisfaction, marketing measures to improvise the key categories, visual merchandising, fast fashion business model for e-commerce, brand archetyping and customer feedback analysis and consumer shopping behaviour.
The beneficiaries of research include government co-operatives, Indian fashion conglomerates and multinationals like Marks and Spencer, Reebok, Jack and Jones, to name a few. The design research and innovation manifest through the prototypes created.
Some of the works worth mentioning are contemporisation of indigenous border design of the Himalayan people in apparel and home furnishing products, the reincarnation of tribal art of Jharkhand, development of home furnishing collection with the use of negative embossing and use of soft Polyvinyl Chloride wire mixing with Silicon to create a garment.
PATENTS
NIFT has applied for various patents in the areas of Self Defence Wearable, Computerised Sewing Skill Evaluation System, etc.
PUBLICATIONS
NIFT faculty members are also actively engaged in writing books, chapters in books and research papers in journals. NIFT has to its credit, more than around 1712 papers in leading academic research journals, articles in commercial magazines/newspapers, 128 books/book chapters, approximately 850 paper presentations in seminars and conferences all over the world by NIFT faculty members.
NATIONAL LEVEL RESEARCH
NIFT has taken upon itself to envisage the contribution that India has made in the area of ‘innovation in products, changing preferences, new trends and timing of launching new products as well as emerging requirements in the world’ within the textile sector. The legacy of Indian textiles and crafts is very rich and varied. Some of the most ancient traditions have been kept alive in India, which have made it, therefore, a premier sourcing destination for handcrafted goods. The challenge is for India to transform from a mere sourcing destination to a design and development destination. Keeping this in view, NIFT will be undertaking national-level research in 3 areas viz, Trend Forecasting, Craft Repository and Design Incubation.
VISIONNXT – TREND & FORECASTING INITIATIVE
The trend innovation lab ‘VisionNXT’ initiative will create an indigenous fashion forecasting service that will design seasonal directions for India. The trend forecasting service would be aligned to India’s national and sub-national socio-cultural constructs and market requirements. Till date, no fashion-forecasting agency has been able to provide focused key trend directions and forecast specific for India, due to its complicated geo-demographic and pluralistic socio-cultural eco-system. This research intends to rectify that vacuum. This research would be a multidisciplinary and a transdisciplinary study involving scanning and studying macro and micro trends across industries to identify key factors impacting consumer mind shifts and their tastes and preferences in fashion trends. The data would be collated, sorted and organized by the employment of AI and Machine Learning.
THE REPOSITORY – INDIAN TEXTILE AND CRAFT
The Craft Cluster Initiative of NIFT is supported by the Ministry of Textiles. The body of textile and craft knowledge generated through the Craft Cluster Initiative will be channelled into a national knowledge portal titled The Repository. The repository would develop a virtual museum of textiles, crafts, and clothing. The repository will also act as an aggregator of online information on designer archives, indigenous case studies and related research. The repository is intended to provide an interactive platform where information about individual craftsperson’s and their products can be shared. It would comprise various sub-repositories and would offer seamless access to learning and creative resources along with multiple information services to researchers, entrepreneurs, craftspeople and craft enthusiasts.
NIFT DESIGN INNOVATION INCUBATOR
NIFT is setting up a Design Innovation Incubator to incubate new enterprises and support diversification and new exploration in Smart Wearable Systems, Apparel including athleisure and activewear, Fashion and Lifestyle Accessories and Home and Spaces. The incubator would provide industry mentor services, design and market research and development support, testing and prototyping facilities, branding solutions and access to financial and legal services. The Design Innovation Incubator strives to provide state of the art facilities in order to transform design ideas into commercially viable businesses and to facilitate access to stakeholders such as funding agencies, venture capitalists, research institutes, government organisations and industry partners.
INDIA size – National Sizing Survey of India:
NIFT under of aegis of Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India has undertaken a project “ÏNDIAsize” to develop standard body sizes for the Indian apparel sector to address the prevailing disparities and inconsistencies. The project will entail measuring of 25000 (Twenty-Five Thousand) male and female persons between the age group of 15 years and 65 years in six different cities located in six regions of India i.e. Kolkata (East), Mumbai (West), New Delhi (North), Hyderabad (Centre), Bengaluru (South), and Shillong (North-East) using human safe 3D whole-body scanning technology. The survey will result in the creation of Size identification number for a customer through mapping, categorization and defining of their body shape and size. This indigenous size chart will help national and international retailers and manufacturers to produce goods which are best suited for Indian body types and create a balance between demand and supply of well-fitted clothes.
Apart from apparel, the findings of the study will have ramifications across various sectors such as automotive, aerospace, fitness & sport, art, computer gaming etc. where the insights from this data can produce ergonomically designed products which are well suited for the Indian population.
Doctorate Level Programs
NIFT also offers PhD programme (Estimated duration of study – 3 to 5 years)
Subject Areas for Exchange Students
Over the years, NIFT has consciously enhanced its international visibility and standing among other reputed fashion institutes abroad. NIFT has strategic agreements and partnerships with 30 leading international fashion institutes & organizations that share the same academic direction. On one hand, this gives NIFT students a unique opportunity to integrate with the global mainstream of fashion by opting for the exchange program with collaborating partner institutes, and on the other, presents the international students with a plethora of similar ‘study abroad’ options under exchange programs at NIFT. Thus, provides excellent opportunities to NIFT as well as international students to interact with students from various geographies, encouraging them to broaden their vision and understand different cultures. The ‘study abroad’ opportunity offered to the international students is available across all the 17 NIFT campuses and under various course disciplines.
DUAL DEGREE OPPORTUNITY NIFT – Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York, USA strategic partnership allows select meritorious students from NIFT, a unique opportunity to obtain a Dual Degree from both NIFT and FIT. Students from NIFT undertake two years of study at the home Institute intercepted by one year of study at FIT. Thereafter, the students resume their studies at NIFT to obtain the Dual Degree from both the institutes. 45 students have completed the dual degree programme in the last 5 years.
Application Deadlines
Submission of Application form for semester July December – last week of February
Submission of Application form for semester Jan – June – last week of September
For all short-term programme deadline is 2 months prior to commencement of the programme.
Teaching Languages
The medium of instruction is English
Semester Dates
NIFT follows a two-semester system.:
- January to June and
- July to December
Cost of Living Per Month (Studying and Living)
It can vary between campuses. The exact costs can be analyzed based on Campus and duration of stay.
