The fashion accessory trade indeed demands creativity and flair together with sound technical knowledge base vital to production. It also needs professional skills in design, production and marketing to transform an essentially mercurial business in to an economically profitable proposition.
And what NIFT offers, is the best in international level of education with regular inputs from industry professionals and experts. It has MOU with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York and Nottingham Trent University, U.K. and Les Atteliers Paris on students, faculty and information exchanges. The Institute has opened it’s doors to the best in education, research and training. The Accessory Design department itself has tie-ups with more than 200 industries for projects and internship and training facilities to the students. This includes some of the leading groups such as Titan jewellery, Tata Exports, Gaitender group, Suraj Jewellery Ltd., GILI, Dastkar, Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri, Emrald Jewltech, Timex, Lalith Jewllery, Khanna Jewellers, Shrimata Glass and many other industries spread all over India. NIFT also conducts continuing education programme, seminars and workshops for the industry sponsored candidates. There is a continuous interaction between the fashion industry and the institutes with greater stress to correlate training programmes to the requirements of the industry.
Last year in October the work of Accessory Design graduating batch consisting of 23 students was showcased in the form of an audio visual show along with the display of approximately 700 products at LeMeridian, New Delhi. These students had worked with handcrafted precious jewellery, cast jewellery, paper products, giftwares and tablewares, leather goods, travel goods and table-top accessories with industries across India. These products were the end results of a 5 month long project based on a realistic project brief. The added strength of this presentation was the proven success and maturity of the students to demonstrate direct benefits to business through professional design intervention
DATA 1997
In fact the final semesters of the six semester Accessory Design programme is a testing ground for the graduating students wherein they undertake real-life design and product development projects from specific industries for a duration of 22 weeks. This has been the hallmark of the AD dept. wherein the focus is towards intensive industry orientation involvement during the professional education of it’s students. This is probably one of the most successful platform on which fashion accessory design students and the accessory industry have joined hands to demonstrate a symbiotic interface between the real life industry situation and professional education in India. Significantly, even last year almost 70% of the design development has been productionised and converted into business. The industry has spent nearly Millions by way of design and development expenses on these projects. This itself is an important landmark for any professional education programme targeted at the industry. In the last few years the AD dept. has also actively collaborated with institutions and organisations sharing similar interests, through research and development projects where design can make a visible change. The development was commissioned last year by World Gold Council to develop a design trend book aimed domestic jewellery market. Based on intensive research across the country in the variety of techniques, style and consumer taste, it is to be a comprehensive design resource within a contemporary milieu. The department has also undertaken a product development project Rural Non-Farm Development Agency (RUDA) Govt. of Rajasthan wherein 30 artisans from Rajasthan worked with Accessory Design students for 5 weeks at NIFT to develop a range of leather, pottery and stone products for contemporary markets. These products are being productionised and will be marketed by Dastkar, an NGO in association with RUDA.
And that’s indeed not all about AD dept. at NIFT. Many of it’s students have won laurels and carved a niche for the Indian concept of designs in the global market. Reena Thakur was adjudged for the highest award in “overall excellence in design” in the Swarnanjali Competition, instituted by the World Gold Council. Afshan Adlakha, the winner in the bridal category and Puja Bhargava, runner-up in the formal wear also won international recognition and were also felicitated at the ceremony. Ranjita Rajora and Kamna Govil ended as finalists in the competition which drew more than 2700 entries around the globe. Three graduates have been lauded in the DeBeers competition for jewellery design – Rudrajit Bose, an international finalist, Rajesh Kumar, a runner up and Ruchi Tandon, another finalist. One of the graduates is working for Tiffony, New York, whilst there are three other placement offers from the Gulf.
As the year 2000, the dawn of 21st century is moving up towards the new millennium, arts are getting bolder and inhibitions have been surrendered. In this world finding a new balance – fashion’s indeed more fun than before. The Globe is shrinking and the root of it’s all is globalization – a 90 phenomenon, a movement that aims at seeing the world market as one. In India, too, the effect of economic reforms is visible in all spheres of industry. To achieve pace with globalization, the Indian industry has achieve international standards in economies of scale-styling-quality and brand positioning. The industry has strengthened it’s roots – Redefined and breathed a new life into it’s rich and diverse aesthetic heritage, by a judicious input of modern technology. The Indian fashion designers are moving towards leadership in the world. Indain models are becoming most acceptable in the world of fashion. India produced a large number of MISS UNIVERSES’ AND MISS WORLDS’ AND MISS INTERNATIONALS’ AND MISS ASIA’S IN LAST FEW YEARS .
