Leeds links with fashion leader

India is staking its claim as a global player in the fashion business - and Leeds wants to be part of that success.

Leeds School of Design is joining forces with India’s top fashion design institute to offer a two-year, joint masters programme taught
in New Delhi, that will also let their students have access to Leeds’ world-renowned textile research, starting from July 2010.

Leeds fashion design management lecturer Huzefa Neemuchwala said: “India’s National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) is a natural partner for us because of their strong industry links and expertise in technical design and clothing production. This collaboration exploits the strengths of both institutes.”

As the world’s second-largest textiles and clothing producer after China, India’s GDP is growing at the rate of eight percent a year.

At present, India does not have any international-level, post graduate courses in fashion and textiles, which is where we fit in. Leeds has been awarded a £60,000 grant from the United Kingdom India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) to develop the joint masters course, which does not compete with the teaching content of any existing Leeds-based programmes.

“The idea is to create a new type of design professional for India’s rapidly expanding domestic and export clothing industry,” he explained. “With India moving on from being a manufacturing base to designing their own fashions for the world market, there is a need for professionals who have a global design perspective.”

NIFT students will get supervision from Leeds academics while carrying out research projects on technical textiles, performance fabrics and sustainable dyes.

The return benefits should be significant, making the University of Leeds an important research player in Indian fashion and textiles, and opening the door to more teaching exchanges. It will also help to attract new researchers into the School of Design.

Photo: Huzefa Neemuchwala in the School of Design