The Ministry of Textiles is actively fostering international partnerships to elevate India's standing in the global textile and fashion industry. As part of these efforts, the Ministry has supported Export Promotion Councils and Associations in organizing Bharat TEX 2025, a global mega textile event. The initiative aims to showcase the strength of India’s textile value chain, spotlight the latest innovations in textile and fashion, and position India as a premier destination for sourcing and investment.
The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has played a key role in expanding international collaboration, having formalized partnerships with over 22 institutions across 14+ countries, including the UK, France, USA, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Finland. These partnerships, established through Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), facilitate student and faculty exchanges, joint research, dual-degree and twinning programs, and curriculum development. Prominent collaborations include institutions such as FIT (New York), UAL (UK), ENSAIT (France), and Bunka (Japan). In the past five years, more than 100 NIFT students and numerous faculty members have participated in international exchange programs, with many global counterparts visiting India in return.
These global engagements promote academic excellence, drive innovation, and facilitate knowledge sharing, while exposing Indian students and faculty to international design sensibilities, advanced technologies, and global market trends. Aligning NIFT’s curricula with international standards ensures that Indian graduates are globally competitive and helps position India as a center for creativity and technical expertise in the textile and fashion sectors.
NIFT is also leveraging these partnerships to promote sustainable and innovative practices within fashion and textile education. Many collaborations are focused on sustainability, ethical production, circular economy models, and SME-relevant textile systems. Key initiatives include:
Joint development of sustainable fashion modules with FIT (New York) and UAL (UK)
Semester exchange and collaborative work with UAL’s FTTI focused on circularity, responsible fashion, and cultural sustainability
Faculty participation in global sustainability forums
Student involvement in international exhibitions, sustainable design projects, and exchange programs
This information was shared by Union Minister for Textiles, Shri Giriraj Singh, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.