CMAI and NIFT VisioNxt Join Hands to Strengthen Fashion Forecasting and AI-led Design Capabilities Across Key Apparel Hubs in the Country

From the report

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 joined hands to strengthen knowledge exchange, industry collaboration and professional capabilities in fashion forecasting and design.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organisations was signed on 12th of November 2026 marking an important step towards bringing research-driven fashion intelligence and emerging technological capabilities closer to India’s apparel industry.

Speaking on the occasion, 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.”