NIFT, Lahore’s Fashion Design Institute collaborate

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. This will be done 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.

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma is of the opinion that our students and teachers can interact with each other and professional programmes can also take place together in the future. There would be synergy between the two institutes. If plans work out, there will be collaboration between the two institutes.

Over 100 Pakistani top brands and fashion designers in categories such as fashion textiles, jewellery, designer furniture, handicrafts, home textiles and leather goods showcased their items at the four-day ‘Pakistan Lifestyle’ extravaganza held at the Pragati Maidan in Delhi.

Apart from fashion and textile designing, the government is also looking at avenues for the footwear industry. As Sharma feels there is a need to develop the footwear industry. India, has a footwear design institute and there is need that such designing institutes should have a common linkage. Both the countries are even contemplating forming a common business council in the event of strengthening of economic ties.