When inclusive fashion took centre stage at nift

She created an inclusive fashion collection for visually impaired pre-teen children inspired by the concept of Tamasi Taara.

The proud director of NIFT, Prof. Dr. Anitha Manohar, tells us, “This is an effort to put forward the feelings of the visually impaired that are often otherwise imperceptible. Sai Kruthi worked with a special school in Hyderabad and researched about the problems faced by the children. She found that one of the challenges a visually impaired face is identifying between the front and back side of a dress. As we all know, learning independence in dressing is an important skill these students should learn.”

Sai Kruthi created French knot embroidery design in her collection. So if a visually challenged girl/boy touches the design, with the help of the Braille-embossed stitches they can easily identify the part of the dress — either front or back. “Sai Kruthi has added small details on the garments for the children to touch, feel and understand so they can be independent when it comes to dressing,”explains Anitha.

The school management even sent the children to walk the ramp for the show. Working with special children is not something new to the students of NIFT, Chennai. During the annual festival of NIFT, the Fashion Spectrum 2019, which concluded recently, one day was earmarked for special children.

“The festival drew industry members, faculty members and students from both NIFT and other colleges of repute. This year, the highlight of the event at our Chennai campus was ‘Inclusive Spectrum’. It was an initiative with the intent to mainstream the creative passions of special children, by providing them with a platform. We gave special children, who came from ten institutions, an avenue to showcase their talent.

“At our institute, we are building designers in various fields, from apparels to products. So, once they start working in the industry or when they launch their own labels and brands, I want my students to understand that everybody has impediments and how can they help people overcome it and identify their talents. Through such events, we are moulding conscientious people for society and for the fashion industry. Inclusivity in NIFT Chennai is very well researched topic and that’s what make us different from other centres,” she shares.