The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Mumbai, hosted a promotional event on 8th January 2025 at Nishta Bhavan, Churchgate, Mumbai, to spotlight VisionNxt, India’s first AI and EI-driven fashion forecasting platform. Under the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, VisioNxt प्रयोगशाला,An project of NIFT, backed by the Indian government’s Ministry of Textiles, aims to provide innovative research and trend insights for the country’s retail and fashion markets. Additionally, it provides a range of workshops, academic courses, and trend-related consulting services. VisioNxt 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 primary goal is to map the complexity and diversity of India’s fashion scene so that companies, designers, brands, retailers, craftspeople, and weavers may anticipate and adapt to the changing demands of the Indian market. 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.
The Director of NIFT Mumbai, Prof. Dr. Sharmila J. Dua, highlighted VisionNxt’s revolutionary significance in influencing the direction of the Indian fashion industry. She emphasized the platform’s Indigenous AI deep learning technology and its flagship bilingual trend book, Paridhi 24×25. She said, “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 image recognition and predictive analytics.
Over 23,000 people have visited VisionNxt’s website since its formal launch in September 2024, and the company has sparked extensive industrial and scholarly involvement. Beyond fashion forecasting, the platform supports the industry by projecting customer preferences, analyzing data trends, and giving actionable insights for businesses, designers, and craftspeople. India’s foray into the trend forecasting market has a number of benefits, including a decrease in dependency on international forecasting firms, a unique understanding of Indian fashion customers, a combination of artificial and human intelligence, and an integration of India’s information technology and textile strengths.
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 date.
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 primary and 280,000 secondary photos. An ethically certified effort called “VisioNxt प्रयोगशाला” has empowered more than 800 pupils by incorporating them in VisioNxt’s data collection system and teaching them how to recognize trends.
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.
