CMAI and NIFT VisioNxt Partner to Advance Fashion Forecasting and AI-led Design
The partnership will bring fashion forecasting masterclasses to eight major apparel hubs across India, combining AI, 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), have joined hands to strengthen fashion forecasting and design capabilities across India’s apparel industry.
NIFT operates under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. The two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 12 November 2026. The agreement aims to encourage knowledge exchange, industry collaboration and professional development. It will also bring research-based fashion intelligence and new technology closer to apparel manufacturers and brands.
Strengthening Fashion Intelligence for the Industry
The partnership comes at a time when consumer preferences, technology and design trends are changing rapidly. As a result, manufacturers and brands need better insights to plan collections and respond to market demand.
Speaking on the occasion, Santosh Katariya, President, CMAI, 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.”
Masterclasses on Fashion Forecasting and AI
As part of the partnership, CMAI and NIFT VisioNxt will introduce a series of masterclasses on Fashion Forecasting for the Indian Market. The sessions will combine Artificial Intelligence (AI), Emotional Intelligence (EI), cultural insights and market intelligence.
The programme aims to help apparel manufacturers, brands, designers and industry professionals understand emerging trends. In addition, participants will learn how to turn these insights into practical design and product development strategies.
Ms. Tanu Kashyap, IAS, Director General, NIFT, stated, “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.”
Eight Key Apparel Hubs to Host the Sessions
The proposed masterclasses will take place in eight major apparel and manufacturing hubs across India:
- Jaipur
- Surat
- Ahmedabad
- Noida
- Bengaluru
- Tirupur
- Mumbai
- Kolkata
Each session will include expert presentations, demonstrations, case studies and interactive discussions. The programme will cover several key areas:
- Emerging fashion and lifestyle trends in India
- Changing consumer mindsets and market signals
- The role of AI and technology in trend mapping and design
- NIFT VisioNxt’s research methodology
- Turning trend intelligence into design directions for textiles and apparel
- Relevant industry case studies
Bridging Research, Technology and Industry
Through this partnership, CMAI and NIFT VisioNxt aim to connect fashion research with technological innovation and practical industry needs. The initiative will help manufacturers, designers, brands and other stakeholders use trend intelligence and emerging technologies more effectively.
Ultimately, the collaboration seeks to improve industry competitiveness and support a more informed, innovative and future-ready Indian apparel sector.
