To promote VisionNxt, India’s first AI and EI-driven fashion forecasting platform, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Mumbai, held a promotional event at Nishta Bhavan, Churchgate, Mumbai, on January 8, 2025. VisioNxt प्रयोगशशाला, an initiative of NIFT, is under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. Its goal is to provide innovative research and trend insights for the fashion and retail sector in India. Additionally, it provides a range of seminars, academic courses, and trend-related consulting services. ViscoNxt has created an in-house forecasting technology that precisely addresses the distinct dynamics of the Indian market by fusing artificial intelligence (AI) with emotional intelligence (EI).Its main goal is to map the complexity and variety of India’s fashion scene so that companies, designers, brands, retailers, craftspeople, and weavers may anticipate and adapt to the changing demands of Indian consumers. In the context of Indian fashion and style, Visionxt Fashion Forecasting describes the concepts, procedures, and instruments used to forecast future trends in the fashion industry.
NIFT Mumbai’s director, Prof. Dr. Sharmila J. Dua, highlighted VisionNxt’s revolutionary significance in influencing the direction of the Indian fashion sector. She emphasized the Indigenous AI deep learning engine that powers the platform as well as its main multilingual trend book, Paridhi 24×25. She stated, “Through collaborative research and innovation, VisionNxt empowers the industry with data-driven insights while celebrating India’s unique fashion identity” .
Ms. Roop Rashi, the Textile Commissioner, highlighted that the platform’s creative methodology democratizes trend forecasting by giving Indian designers, weavers, and small-scale craftspeople reasonably priced access to both local and international trends. “With over 20,000 downloads already, VisionNxt exemplifies how AI can bridge traditional craftsmanship with modern market needs, fostering sustainable growth and elevating India’s cultural identity on a global scale,” she stated. She emphasized the application of cutting-edge technologies that examine customer behavior, age group preferences, and new design trends, such as AI-based picture recognition and predictive analytics.
VisionNxt has attracted a lot of attention since its formal launch in September 2024, drawing over 23,000 visitors to its website and encouraging extensive industrial and scholarly participation.
In addition to fashion forecasting, the platform helps the industry by anticipating customer preferences, examining data patterns, and providing useful information for designers, companies, and craftspeople. India’s entry into the trend forecasting market has a number of benefits, including a decreased dependency on international forecasting firms, a unique understanding of Indian fashion customers, the integration of India’s textile and information technology capabilities, and the fusion of artificial and human intelligence.
Over 60 fashion microtrend reports, over ten close-to-season trend reports, three or more research papers, an e-magazine, a youth trend report, a mind-set book, and India’s first AI Taxonomy book on 75 Indian wear categories have all been delivered by VisioNxt to far. In order to find trends in important clothing characteristics including style, color, and regional influences, this project also produced a large collection of more than 70,000 main and 280,000 secondary photos. Through the ethically certified program “VisioNxt प्रयोगशाला,” more than 800 students have received trend spotting training and empowerment through participation in VisioNxt’s data gathering system.
VisionXT brings value to every stakeholder in the fashion ecosystem:
For Designers: It ensures their ideas translate into production without losing the essence of Indian aesthetics.
For Machinists: It provides clear, detailed instructions tailored to their craft, bridging the gap between creativity and execution.
For Businesses: It saves time, reduces errors, and enhances efficiency, making Indian fashion more competitive globally.”
VisionXT sets itself apart by creating an India-specific AI taxonomy, trained on over 1.5 lakh images and tagged with terms unique to Indian fashion, gathered by a team of 800+ NIFT students. This enables the system to achieve over 86% accuracy in distinguishing between culturally significant garments like Benarasi sarees and Kanjeevaram sarees, or lehengas and skirts, providing precise and contextually relevant insights tailored to the Indian fashion industry.
VisioNxt positions India as a global leader in trend forecasting, enhancing the visibility of Indian fashion language and identity while reducing reliance on international trend agencies. For any more information on this project, please visit the website: visionxt.in.
