Style In Substance

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF Fashion Technology (NIFT) was set up under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. Bringing in a wide range of aesthetic and intellectual orien­tations, the early instructors included leading progressive scholars from the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. The in-house faculty was drawn from a distinguished group of intellec­tuals who put forth a sense of dynamism creating a pathway to effective learning.

The institute has over the years led from the front in several spheres. NIFT Mumbai was ranked in the A1 band under the Global Impact Ranking as an institute of excellence. Besides, it garnered a diamond band ranking with A+ as a higher educational institute of excellence.

The institute was set up in 1995 under the Ministry of Textiles as an ex­tension to its head office in New Delhi. NIFT is a statutory institute governed by the NIFT Act, 2006.

Established in the year 1995 in the “fashion capital of India”, today NIFT Mumbai is spread over 10 acres in Navi Mumbai, has state-of-the-art hos­tel facilities for students, world-class infrastructure, highly equipped labs and machine rooms. The campus pos­sesses latest sport infrastructure and a well-equipped mess facility. The insti­tute has a highly trained faculty with strong industry connect.

NIFT Mumbai provides a transfor­mative educational environment for talented young men and women to nurture their inventive potential, and to acquire distinctive skills. It offers a stimulating, modernistic and evolv­ing curriculum that spans the vast spectrum of India’s artistic heritage, yet remains firmly contemporary, incorpo­rating disruptive technologies.

We value and celebrate cultural and individual diversity in our students, fac­ulty and alumni, always emphasising the power of fellowship. Our aim, after all, is to be a global leader in the dissemi­nation of innovative and project-based pedagogies in design, management and technology for all facets of the textile in­dustry, through the promotion of rig­orous and cutting-edge research. We have always enabled our faculty and students to have intensive interaction with educational institutions, fashion houses, startup hubs and corporations relevant to our programmes. It brings forth graduates who stay committed to exacting standards of professional excellence and personal integrity.

The institute today has emerged as a leader in fashion education with the ability to integrate knowledge, academ­ic freedom, critical independence and creative thinking. A history of being in existence for three decades is testimony to our fundamentals where academic excellence lies at the core. The institute has stood as a beacon of serious critical engagement, a key enabler in develop­ing competent professionals.

NIFT Mumbai offers a learning experience of the highest standards in fashion pertaining to design tech­nology and management, and encour­ages 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.

Academic inclusiveness has been a catalyst in the expansion plans of the institute. NIFT Mumbai provides a framework to ensure that prospec­tive students from different parts of the country 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, and has scaled high academic standards. The faculty resource of the institute has grown into a community of leading practitioners, education enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, creative thinkers, researchers and analysts. Through its journey, NIFT Mumbai has achieved a strong aca­demic strategy. Invigorating thought leadership, research stimulus, indus­try focus, creative enterprise and peer learning have reinforced the institute’s academic bedrock. Fostering a new generation of creative thinkers, today the institute is empowered to award degrees in undergraduate, postgradu­ate and doctoral studies. Articulating the ideology of world-class learning practices, the institute has entered into strategic alliances with leading interna­tional institutes.

The vision of NIFT Mumbai embrac­es challenges and provides the impetus in setting the highest academic stan­dards. It continues to strive to be noth­ing but the best across all NIFT centres.

Our students regularly make it to reputed universities internationally for semester exchange programmes, such as the Academy of Arts, San Fran­cisco; Amsterdam Fashion Institute, Netherlands; BGMEA Institute of Fashion & Technology, Bangladesh; Birmingham Institute of Arts & Design, UK; Bunka Gakuen, Japan, to name a few.

The institute today has emerged as a leader in fashion education with the ability to integrate knowledge, academic freedom, critical independence and creative thinking. A history of being in existence for three decades is testimony to our fundamentals where academic excellence lies at the core

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The institute offers under­graduate courses in fashion design, accessory design, textile design and knitwear design, while it conducts Master’s degree in two postgradu­ate programmes—design space and fashion management.

Diversity and inclusion at NIFT Mumbai are paramount. Institu­tional workplace diversity is in un­derstanding, accepting, and valuing differences between faculty and staff, including those of different races, ethnicities, genders, ages, religions, disabilities, and sexual orientations, and, with differences in education, personalities, skillsets, experiences, and knowledge bases. Inclusion in the institute translates into a col­laborative, supportive, and respect­ful environment that increases the participation and contribution of all faculty/staff.

The placement cell or Career Development Centre is central to a student’s career. Particularly from 2020, students are seen opting for entrepreneurship rather than plain vanilla employment opportunities. The structure of the job market has changed significantly with technol­ogy integrated into almost everything in our daily lives. New-age universi­ties are increasingly focusing on internships and are seen assisting in providing a learning curve to students helping them gain first-hand expo­sure of working in the real world. NIFT Mumbai has an excellent track record of providing placements, which is centrally managed. Today, it has almost 98.87 per cent placements, while the remaining 1.13 per cent opt for higher studies.

Academics and new ventures do not have to be mutually exclusive. Balancing studies and the entrepre­neurial dream are often troublesome for students who are already on their business journeys. The institute must help define and influence stu­dents’ career goals rather than hin­der them. Student entrepreneurs enjoy unprecedented benefits and support, making it the perfect time to test the waters of business owner­ship. The institute has set up exclu­sive teams to help students nurture their entrepreneurial skills.

Apart from charting out the stu­dents’ entrepreneurial journey, gen­eral elective courses help in broaden­ing their perspectives. These courses are in two categories—optional and mandatory. The optional electives are the ones which give the maxi­mum amount of open environment for students to opt from various life skills, ranging from languages, sport and recreational activities to envi­ronmental awareness and cultural art practices.

Professionals from a wide range of areas are engaged in this process, hence giving each student vital con­nects to a chosen profession outside core academics.

Besides, those students who pur­sue the Continuing Education (CE) Programmes spread their wings in related professional fields and establish a rapport with industry professionals. They learn relevant technical skills and establish a rich collaboration between the aca­demia and industry.

NIFT Mumbai also engages in a “cluster initiative”, a social cause that aims to reignite traditional handi­craft, handlooms and allied semi-urban and small-scale activities. It is a collaborative effort through well designed programmes that attempts to bring artisans, NGOs, government officials, designers, brands and stu­dents on to a common platform. It is central to NIFT’s ongoing drive to learn while engaging in real-time developmental activities.

About The Author

Mohammad Javed

Mohammad Javed is Associate Professor, NIFT Mumbai