CMAI and NIFT VisioNxt Partner to Advance AI-Led Fashion Forecasting Across India's Apparel Hubs
New collaboration will introduce fashion forecasting masterclasses in eight major apparel centres, combining Artificial Intelligence, Emotional 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, design research and industry collaboration.
Signed on November 12, 2026, the agreement aims to connect research-driven fashion intelligence and emerging technologies with India's apparel manufacturing industry through knowledge-sharing initiatives and professional development programmes.
CMAI and NIFT VisioNxt to Introduce Fashion Forecasting Masterclasses
As part of the partnership, the two organisations will organise a series of masterclasses on Fashion Forecasting for the Indian Market.
The programmes will integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI), Emotional Intelligence (EI), cultural insights and market intelligence to help apparel manufacturers, brands, designers and industry professionals understand emerging trends and incorporate them into commercial design and product development strategies.
The initiative will focus on interpreting changing consumer preferences and translating fashion intelligence into relevant product and collection decisions.
Speaking on the collaboration, 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.”
NIFT VisioNxt to Bring Research and Technology Insights to Industry
The partnership will also focus on applying NIFT's research capabilities and technology-enabled forecasting methodologies to practical industry requirements.
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.”
Masterclasses to Cover Eight Major Apparel Manufacturing Hubs
The proposed masterclasses will be conducted across eight cities covering India's key apparel manufacturing centres:
- Jaipur
- Surat
- Ahmedabad
- Noida
- Bengaluru
- Tirupur
- Mumbai
- Kolkata
Each session will include expert presentations, demonstrations, case studies and interactive discussions.
The programme will address several areas relevant to fashion forecasting and product development, including:
- 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 actionable design directions across textiles and apparel.
- Relevant industry case studies.
Collaboration to Connect Fashion Research with Apparel Manufacturing
Through the MoU, CMAI and NIFT VisioNxt aim to strengthen industry competitiveness by connecting fashion research, technological developments and practical manufacturing applications.
The initiative will provide manufacturers, designers, brands and other industry stakeholders with access to structured trend intelligence and emerging technology-based tools to support design and product development decisions.
The collaboration is intended to strengthen knowledge exchange between industry and academia while supporting innovation and future readiness across India's textile and apparel sector.