NIFT to join hands with Institute of Fashion Design, Lahore

Apart from giving a major thrust to liberal trade between the two countries, India and Pakistan plan to join hands in the field of fashion designing, textiles and footwear through collaborations between their fashion institutes. The attempt is to come up with challenging and innovative fusion of fashion from both the countries and open new avenues and markets for their designers, including the textiles and footwear industries. The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and the Lahore-based Institute of Fashion Design are working on extensive exchange of fashion knowledge and expertise.

“Our students and teachers can interact with each other and professional programmes can also take place in the future. There would be synergy between the two institutes. If plans work out, there will be collaboration between the two institutes,” Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said. Over 100 Pakistani top brands and fashion designers in categories such as fashion textiles, jewellery, designer furniture, handicrafts, home textiles and leather goods are showcasing their items at the four-day “Pakistan Lifestyle” extravaganza being held at the Pragati Maidan.

Apart from fashion and textile designing, the government is also looking at avenues for the footwear industry. “There is a need to develop the footwear industry. In India, we have a footwear design institute and it is the need of the hour that such designing institutes should have a common linkage. We need our fashion designers to constantly interact with each other for which a common ground has to be created to share the knowledge,” Mr. Sharma added.

Both the countries are even contemplating forming a common business council in the event of strengthening of economic ties. Zain Aziz of Sefam group, one of the largest fashion designing houses in Pakistan, said: “The collaboration would be good for business because a lot of youngsters are nowadays working in fashion houses.”

Source: The Hindu, April 14, 2012

NIFT ties up with New York college

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has tied up with the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, for a dual degree under-graduate programmes. According to an official statement, all selected students from NIFT would avail of the opportunity to obtain a joint degree awarded by NIFT and FIT. The agreement will be implemented at the earliest for the benefit of the NIFT students.

Union Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles Anand Sharma said the objective of forging a strong global connect and offering international academic exposure to its students has been instrumental in NIFT undertaking a commendable initiative of establishing academic linkages with the New York-based fashion institute in the form of dual degree.

In fact, NIFT was established in 1986 in collaboration with FIT with the assistance of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). At the initial stage, NIFT entered into a decade-long agreement for academic and infrastructural support. Since then, NIFT has seen tremendous growth with 15 centres and the expansion of international and domestic linkages.

Source: The Hindu, October 22, 2011