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Ms. Zohra Chatterji,
Secretary,
Ministry of Textiles,
Govt. of India.
The Ministry of Textiles, Government of
India (MOT, GOI) has been taking timely
steps over the years to support development
of trained human resources for the entire
textile value chain whether it be the setting
up Institutes of Handloom Technology in the
earlier years or setting up of Weavers’ Service
Centers or the TRAs and Sardar Vallabhai
Patel Institute for textile related research
and management programmes or in recent
times Centres of Excellence for Technical
Textiles etc. Even for associated institutions
MOT extends necessary support. ATDC is
an excellent example being a Nodal Agency
under Component-1 for strengthening the
vocational training system in the country.
When NIFT was set up almost 3 decades ago,
the word fashion itself was rather unknown
in India. Getting inspired by the Fashion
Institute of Technology (FIT), New York and
placing a group of talented professionals to
be trained in FIT to form the core faculty
for NIFT, Delhi, the fashion revolution was
unleashed in the country. The pioneering
team of NIFT’s Founding Faculty members
including Dr. Darlie Koshy now here at IAM
and several others had helped in developing
NIFT as a ‘benchmark’ for Fashion Design
Education in the last quarter of a century.
Major changes have taken place since the
setting up of NIFT in 1986, as the setting up
of NIFT was prior to economic liberalization
which began in 1991. Post 2005, quotas or
quantitative restrictions in apparel exports
have been done away with and it has become
‘free trade’ for apparel requiring new
competitiveness dimensions of ‘speed’ and
‘scale’. Post 2005, Indian apparel exports
have become part of the Global fashion
supply chain or eco-system. It is also part
of both multi-lateral and bilateral trade
frameworks. More importantly, India being
a complete value chain from fibre-to-fashion
provides a unique opportunity for creating
designs and innovations to improve our
share in global textile-apparel trade. Because
of the economic liberalization and FDI in
single brands, the domestic retail industry
has also rapidly grown and the overall Indian
retail market is now pegged at about US$600
billion. The textile & clothing value chain
is worth over US$ 90 billion in value terms.
In the wake of development of the retail
industry in India and coming of age of India’s
own department store chains, solo & flagship
shops, malls, there is certainly a convergence
of fashion & lifestyle taking place and even
exports and retail and it is in this context
that ‘fashion business’ as such is gaining in
importance and momentum.
I am happy to note that IAM over just
5 Academic years has established itself a
‘specialized niche institute’ in the area of
‘fashion business’ and ‘fashion management’
rather than focusing on only designs per
se. I understand that in many institutes
like London College of Fashion (LCF),
Institut Francais De La Mode (IFM) etc.,
the expression ‘fashion management’ is
being changed to ‘fashion business’. It
is appropriate and timely that IAM has
launched an “MBA programme in Fashion
Business” from the current Academic year
in line with the incoming trends. IAM is also
among the very few institutes in the country
which is offering a 4 year Higher National
Diploma (HND) with UK Edexcel with
degree options in India and overseas that to in
a denovo area of “Fashion & Lifestyle design”.
It is significant to note that there are over
187 students receiving degrees / diplomas
today in the 3rd Convocation of IAM. I also
understand that IAM has been bestowed with
“National Education Leadership Award” by
India’s leading media group Dainik Bhaskar
twice in a row for its innovative approaches to
fashion education. This is indeed a creditable
achievement. We at the ministry recognizes
such institutions which are in the ministry’s
sphere of influence to strengthen such
initiatives and it is one of the reasons why
we have encouraged IAM’s MOU with FDI,
Mauritius and even pursuing scholarship
schemes for students from neighbouring
courses to pursue education at IAM.
Going forward, it is important that the
quality of education programmes are further
strengthened. The significant strength of
IAM is its symbiotic relationship with AEPC
and its large number of member exporters.
Another feature is its global linkages which
provide opportunities for Summer Workshops