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 joined hands to strengthen knowledge exchange, industry collaboration and professional capabilities in fashion forecasting and design.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organisations was signed on 12th of November 2026 marking an important step towards bringing research-driven fashion intelligence and emerging technological capabilities closer to India's apparel industry.

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.”

As part of this collaboration, the two organisations will introduce a series of Masterclasses on Fashion Forecasting for the Indian Market, integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI), Emotional Intelligence (EI), Cultural Insights and Market Intelligence. The initiative aims to equip apparel manufacturers, brands, designers and industry professionals with the knowledge and tools to interpret emerging trends and translate them into commercially relevant design and product development strategies.

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.”

Proposed to be conducted in Jaipur, Surat, Ahmedabad, Noida, Bengaluru, Tirupur, Mumbai and Kolkata, the masterclasses will cover India's key apparel manufacturing hubs. Each session will feature expert presentations, demonstrations, case studies and interactive discussions. It will cover a range of contemporary themes, including emerging fashion and lifestyle trends in India, evolving consumer mindsets and market signals, the role of AI and technology in trend mapping and design, NIFT VisioNxt's research methodology, translating trend intelligence into actionable design directions across textiles & apparel and relevant industry case studies.

Through this strategic partnership, CMAI and NIFT VisioNxt aim to strengthen competitiveness, bridge the gap between fashion research, technological innovation and industry application, enabling manufacturers, designers, brands and other stakeholders to leverage trend intelligence and emerging technologies more effectively. The initiative is expected to contribute towards building a more informed, innovative and future-ready Indian apparel ecosystem.