The National Institute of Fashion Technology successfully concluded the second and final day of the NIFT International Conference 2026 on Design for Inclusive Futures at its Mumbai campus, bringing to a close a two-day global forum that advanced discourse on equity, accessibility, sustainability and socially responsive design. The concluding day deepened engagement through keynote addresses, technical sessions, invited research papers and a high-impact panel discussion, reinforcing the centrality of inclusive innovation in shaping future design ecosystems.
A key highlight of the conference was the Craft Demonstration-cum-Awareness Programme jointly organised by the Office of the Development Commissioner Handicrafts, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, and the National Institute of Fashion Technology. The programme showcased live demonstrations by master artisans from diverse craft clusters across the country, offering participants direct engagement with India’s rich craft heritage, indigenous knowledge systems and sustainable production practices. The initiative underscored the role of traditional crafts in building culturally rooted, inclusive and future-ready design frameworks.
A total of 32 handloom and handicraft artisans, including master weavers and master craftsmen, participated in the programme. Artisans representing crafts such as Gond painting, Paithani sari weaving, Ikat textiles, Maheshwar textiles, appliqué work and Kutch Bandhani demonstrated their skills, highlighting the importance of cultural continuity, artisan-led innovation and sustainable livelihoods in shaping inclusive design futures.
In her address, Prof. Dr. Noopur Anand, Dean, NIFT, emphasised the need to embed accessibility as a fundamental design principle rather than a peripheral consideration. She described disability as an opportunity for sensory-inclusive and age-friendly innovation and stressed dignity, ethical responsibility and human-centric education as core values for advancing inclusive design practice.
The day commenced with a keynote address by Shri Jalaj Hora, Chief Executive Officer, Synthegrate and Global Chair, Manchester Metropolitan University, who spoke on the responsible and meaningful integration of artificial intelligence in fashion to augment human creativity rather than replace it. This was followed by a keynote address by Shri Arman Ali, Executive Director, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People, who highlighted universal design as a foundational principle and drew attention to the social and economic costs of exclusion, particularly for persons with disabilities in digital, financial and public access systems.
The conference concluded with a valedictory session by Prof. Dr. Rupa Agrawal, Conference Chair, NIFT, marking the successful culmination of the international event. The NIFT International Conference 2026 reaffirmed NIFT’s leadership role in advancing inclusive, sustainable and socially impactful design education and practice, while setting a clear direction for strengthened global collaboration and future-oriented design excellence.
