Work towards improving income of weavers, artisans: Piyush Goyal tells NIFT

The Union Minister said NIFT students can adopt an artisan that would go a long way in diversifying the products and improving both quality and processes of artisans. 

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) should try to work towards a larger vision of improving the incomes of weavers and artisans in India, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said. Reviewing consultancy and developmental projects that are being implemented by the NIFT, Goyal said the National Sizing Survey of India and the VisioNxt-Trend Insight and Forecasting Lab could provide a big boost to the country’s apparel exports.  

He asked the NIFT to hasten the progress of each project so that the outcomes reach the public and industries soon. “The minister asked the NIFT to come up with initiatives to introduce hybrid short-term and skill development courses to expand its reach,” an official statement said.  

Appreciating the craft cluster initiative, as part of which students take up projects with artisans at the grassroot level, the minister said each NIFT student could adopt an artisan, which would go a long way in diversifying the products and improving both quality and processes of artisans. 

National Sizing Survey to address disparities in apparels 

The NIFT is currently undertaking a National Sizing Survey, called INDIAsize, to address the disparities and inconsistencies in apparel sizing systems and fits. It is a pan-India exercise where anthropometric data is being collected using state-of-the-art 3D whole-body scanners, from male and female population of age above 15 years.

The project aims at creating a database of body measurements that is a true representative of the Indian population and will result in the creation of a size identification number for a customer through mapping, categorisation and defining of their body shapes. The standardised body size chart thus created will help manufacturers produce goods suited for the target consumer and help consumers identify the size that will fit them best. 

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