Staff Reporter

Shillong, Jan 17: The VisioNxt Project, in collaboration with National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, is a unique initiative to empower the Indian craft and design community. The objective of the project is to prepare all related aspects of India's designers, craftsmen and fashion industry for global competition.

A Press Conference on this project was organised by NIFT Shillong on 17 January 2025. In this programme, the Institute formally introduced the VisioNxt Project and discussed its objectives, achievements and future plans in detail.

During the Press Conference, highlighting the salient features of the project, it was informed that it is a historic initiative towards connecting the Indian design and craft community with modern technologies and global trends.

Under the VisioNxt Project, an indigenous trend forecasting system has been developed keeping in view India's cultural and local requirements. The system helps craftsmen and designers to understand future fashion trends and adapt their products to market demand. This is reducing the dependence of the Indian fashion industry on international trend forecasting agencies and also reducing costs.

The digital and data-driven approach of the project has so far collected over 70,000 primary garment images and over 2,80,000 secondary images. This data has been used to analyse the stylistic and colourful trends of Indian dress. Based on this, more than 60 fashion micro trend reports and more than 10 close-to-season trend reports have been prepared. Simultaneously, a bilingual fashion trend book called "Paridhi 24x25" has also been launched and downloaded more than 2,000 times so far.

It was also informed that more than 800 students have been trained in trend spotting and data collection systems under the project. This has not only improved their skills but has also led to better opportunities in the fashion and design industry.

Another significant achievement of this project was the launch of India's first bilingual fashion trend book "Paridhi 24x25" and a web portal at the Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi on 5 September 2024. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister appreciated the project and described it as an important step towards making the Indian fashion industry self-reliant.

Shankar Kumar Jha (Director, NIFT Shillong), Shering Bhutia (Campus Academic Coordinator), Febby Joint Director, Umme Hani, Ksankupar and all the faculty members were present at the Press Conference. Everyone appreciated the project and highlighted its benefits.

In his address, the Director of NIFT Shillong spoke at length about the importance of promoting projects such as these. It is the pride of the Nation to showcase our artisan's work to the world.

This project is a strong effort to connect Indian traditional crafts with modern designs and techniques. This is not only making craftsmen and designers competitive in the global market but also showcasing the unique identity of Indian fashion internationally.