10 more design resource centres being set up by NIFT: Govt

The design resource centres are being set up at weavers’ service centres in Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kannur, Indore, Nagpur, Meerut, Bhagalpur and Panipat.  

The Ministry of Textiles on Monday said 10 more design resource centres were being established by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to help the handloom sector. The objective is to create design-oriented excellence in the handloom sector and to facilitate weavers, exporters, manufacturers and designers access design repositories for sample/product improvisation and development.  

Such design centres have already been established at weavers’ service centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati, Jaipur and Varanasi. 

Initially, handloom design centres were set up at Mumbai, Chennai and Varanasi in 1956. Activities of these design centres later expanded to cover other aspects of handloom textiles, which were then re-designated as the weavers’ service centres. 

The ministry said over a period of time each of the weavers’ service centres accumulated a large number of handloom designs and samples. Meanwhile, efforts were made to engage designers of repute and attach them to individual weaver clusters to contribute towards design innovation, training and improve marketability of the handloom products. Set up in 1986, NIFT is the pioneering institute of fashion education in the country and has been in the frontline of providing professional human resource to the textile and apparel industry. Over the years, NIFT, with its 17 campuses in different parts of the country, has been working as a knowledge service provider in the area of design development and positioning of handlooms and handicrafts. 

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