NIFT Powers India’s Indigenous Design Ecosystem: Textiles Minister
The two-day NIFT International Conference 2026 on Design for Inclusive Futures concluded on 23 January at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Mumbai, coinciding with the institute completing 40 years of contributions to fashion education, design innovation and industry engagement.
Addressing the plenary session, Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh said NIFT has emerged as a key economic driver for India’s textile and craft ecosystem, noting that each graduate supports an estimated 8,000–10,000 jobs over their professional lifetime. He highlighted that India is moving toward indigenous design standards through initiatives such as IndiaSize and VisionNxt, reducing dependence on foreign benchmarks and aligning with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
The Minister cited government support measures including GST reduction on affordable clothing from 18% to 5% and removal of cotton import duties, as enablers for sectoral growth. He also noted NIFT’s expanding influence beyond fashion into sectors such as automobiles and logistics, urging alumni to contribute to Vision 2047 and represent the ‘I AM NIFT’ identity globally.
The inaugural session was attended by senior officials including Neelam Shami Rao, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles; Tanu Kashyap, Director General, NIFT; and senior academic leadership. The event featured the release of the commemorative book NIFT@40 – Dharoḥar, unveiling of the NIFT@41 logo and inauguration of a Craft Bazaar.
Textiles Secretary Neelam Shami Rao underlined NIFT’s role in advancing the Prime Minister’s 5F Vision – Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign, while stressing ethical design, artisan respect, standardisation and documentation of traditional knowledge for inclusive growth.
The conference hosted four thematic technical tracks, 23 peer-reviewed research papers, hands-on workshops, exhibitions and a craft bazaar, enabling strong academic–industry engagement around inclusive, ethical and sustainable design futures.
