India’s First Fashion Forecasting Initiative ‘VisioNxt’

VisioNxt, launched by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), is a fashion forecasting initiative aimed at fostering global competition and elevating Indian culture and design. Combining Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Emotional Intelligence (EI), it provides trend insights tailored to India’s socio-economic and cultural diversity.

Established in 2018 with support from the Ministry of Textiles, VisioNxt operates through hubs in Chennai and Delhi, offering consultancy, academic courses, and workshops. Its platform supports Indian weavers, designers, and retailers with bilingual content, ensuring accessibility for a wide range of stakeholders.

Objective of VisioNxt

VisioNxt aims to boost Indian culture and design globally, reducing reliance on foreign trend agencies while integrating AI with India’s textile strengths. It provides India-specific insights for fashion consumers, offering tools to produce targeted collections for a diverse audience.

Cultural Diversity and Fashion Insights

India’s cultural richness, reflected in its 22 official languages and hundreds of dialects, shapes VisioNxt’s trend analysis, ensuring fashion trends align with regional preferences and diverse expressions.

Youth Demographic Impact

India’s young population, with over 54% under the age of 25, heavily influences fashion trends. VisioNxt tracks these preferences to drive industry strategies that appeal to younger consumers.

Operational Framework

VisioNxt operates from NIFT’s Creative Lab in Delhi and Insights Lab in Chennai. Data from the Insights Lab is transformed into fashion innovations, ensuring a complete, regionally sensitive approach to trend forecasting.

Technology and Data Security

VisioNxt utilizes a custom-built app to ensure secure and ethical data sharing across India. Its in-house model, DeepVision, merges AI and EI for actionable fashion insights, supporting the domestic fashion industry.

Strategic Partnerships and Innovations

Backed by the Ministry of Textiles and NIFT’s 18 campuses, VisioNxt has developed the AI-based DeepVision system, which identifies Indian and Western wear categories with high accuracy, aiding the prediction of fashion trends.

VisioNxt 6 Pillars

The initiative’s trend spotters follow the “TrendOrb” training, focusing on six key steps: Scan, Capture, Map, Cluster, Analyse, and Present. This structure allows for detailed trend observation, filtering hype from real cultural shifts.

Union Minister’s Launch of VisioNxt

Union Minister of Textiles, Shri Giriraj Singh, launched VisioNxt, acknowledging it as a significant milestone for India’s fashion industry. He emphasized the role of AI and EI in global competition and praised the initiative’s potential to elevate Indian fashion on the world stage.