The collaboration will introduce fashion forecasting masterclasses across eight major apparel hubs in India, combining artificial intelligence, cultural insights and market intelligence.
The Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) and NIFT VisioNxt, a unit of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen fashion forecasting, industry collaboration and professional capabilities.
Signed on November 12, 2026, the agreement aims to bring research-based fashion intelligence and emerging technologies closer to India’s apparel industry. It will also support knowledge exchange between industry professionals and fashion researchers.
Masterclasses to Focus on AI and Fashion Forecasting
As part of the partnership, CMAI and NIFT VisioNxt will introduce a series of masterclasses on fashion forecasting for the Indian market.
The programme will combine Artificial Intelligence (AI), Emotional Intelligence (EI), cultural insights and market intelligence. It aims to help apparel manufacturers, brands, designers and industry professionals understand emerging trends and apply them to product development.
The sessions will focus on interpreting consumer preferences, identifying market shifts and translating trend intelligence into commercially relevant design strategies.
Industry Leaders Highlight the Importance of Trend Intelligence
Santosh Katariya, President of CMAI, said the apparel industry is experiencing rapid changes in consumer preferences, technology and design sensibilities. He highlighted the importance of identifying these changes early and using them to develop relevant collections.
He said, “The Indian apparel industry is operating in a market where consumer preferences, technology and design sensibilities are changing rapidly. For manufacturers and brands, understanding these shifts early and translating them into commercially relevant collections is extremely important. This collaboration with NIFT VisioNxt will bring industry closer to structured trend intelligence, India-centric fashion insights and emerging AI-enabled tools will help them make more informed design and product development decisions.”
Ms. Tanu Kashyap, IAS, Director General of NIFT, highlighted the role of research, technology and industry engagement in strengthening India’s fashion forecasting capabilities.
She said, “Through VisioNxt, NIFT is committed to strengthening India’s indigenous capabilities in fashion forecasting, design research and technology-enabled innovation. The collaboration with CMAI represents an important step towards translating institutional research into practical knowledge and actionable insights for the apparel industry. By integrating Artificial Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, cultural intelligence and evidence-based forecasting methodologies, this initiative seeks to enhance the capacity of manufacturers, designers and other industry stakeholders to anticipate emerging trends, understand evolving consumer behaviour and make informed design and product development decisions. We believe that such structured industry–academia engagement will contribute to strengthening the competitiveness, innovation capabilities and future readiness of India’s textile and apparel sector.”
Masterclasses Planned Across Eight Apparel Hubs
The masterclasses are proposed to take place in eight major apparel and manufacturing centres:
- Jaipur
- Surat
- Ahmedabad
- Noida
- Bengaluru
- Tirupur
- Mumbai
- Kolkata
Each session will include expert presentations, demonstrations, case studies and interactive discussions.
Key topics will include:
- Emerging fashion and lifestyle trends in India
- Changing consumer mindsets and market signals
- Applications of AI and technology in trend mapping and design
- NIFT VisioNxt’s research methodology
- Translating trend intelligence into design directions for textiles and apparel
- Relevant industry case studies
The programme will provide participants with practical insights into how forecasting methods and technology can support design and product development decisions.
Strengthening Industry–Academia Collaboration
Through this partnership, CMAI and NIFT VisioNxt aim to connect fashion research, technological innovation and industry applications.
The initiative is expected to help manufacturers, designers, brands and other stakeholders use trend intelligence and emerging technologies more effectively. It also seeks to strengthen the competitiveness and innovation capabilities of India’s textile and apparel sector.
By taking the masterclasses to key apparel hubs, the organisations aim to make research-driven fashion insights more accessible to industry professionals across the country.