VisioNxt: India’s first fashion forecasting initiative

VisioNxt is a fashion forecasting initiative of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). It aims to promote healthy global competition and take Indian culture and design to new heights globally. The fashion industry will benefit from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Emotional Intelligence (EI)-based trend insights offered by VisioNxt.

Its mission is to identify, map and analyse geo-specific trends, gathering comprehensive trends and insights reflecting India’s positive pluralism, cultural diversity and socio-economic nuances.

VisioNxt fashion forecasting initiative launched

Union Textiles Minister Shri Giriraj Singh launched a bilingual web portal VisioNxt and India-specific fashion trend book Paridhan 24×25 on September 5, 2024.

Collaboration between Ministry of Textiles and NIFT

VisioNxt – a trend insights and forecasting initiative – was conceived and founded in 2018 at NIFT Delhi (Creative Lab) and NIFT Chennai (Insights Lab) in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. The initiative, now based in Chennai, focuses on providing trend insights and forecasting for the Indian fashion and retail market. It also offers various trend-related consulting services, educational courses, workshops, etc.

Purpose of VisioNxt

• The VisioNxt initiative will promote healthy global competition and take Indian culture and design to new heights globally.
• India’s entry into the forecasting space offers multiple benefits: it reduces dependency on global forecasting agencies, provides unique information about Indian fashion consumers, integrates India’s strengths in information technology with textiles, and combines artificial and human intelligence.
• Content is available in Hindi and English through the VisioNxt portal (www.visionxt.in), which supports weavers, manufacturers, retailers, home businesses, home designers and fashion brands.
• The initiative empowers users to design, produce and launch consumer-centric, targeted collections for this diverse nation. ‘Paridhi’ will launch VisioNxt’s first inclusive fashion trend forecast and a web portal to disseminate India-specific fashion trends.
• VisioNxt positions India globally among countries that predict fashion trends, thereby increasing the visibility of the Indian fashion vocabulary and identity while reducing dependence on international trend agencies.

VisioNxt Overview: Key Points

1. Cultural Diversity and Fashion Insights: VisioNxt focuses on India’s vast cultural pluralism, which includes 22 official languages, 121 languages, 270 mother tongues and numerous tribes and religions. This diversity is a rich foundation for understanding fashion consumption and human expression, creating insights tailored to the Indian textile, fashion and retail industries.
2. Young Demographic Influence: With over 62% of India’s population in the working age group and over 54% under the age of 25, India’s young demographics significantly influence lifestyle and fashion trends. VisioNxt aims to map the preferences of this emerging group to develop targeted industry strategies.
3. Operational Structure: VisioNxt operates from two main hubs – Chennai and New Delhi. The Insights Lab in Chennai collects data, while the Creative Lab in Delhi translates these insights into innovative fashion trends, styles and regional accents, ensuring a comprehensive approach to trend forecasting.
4. Technology and Data Security: The organization utilizes a systematic human network across India, supported by the in-house developed VisioNxt app, which ensures data security and ethical access. This infrastructure facilitates collaboration and sharing of real-time insights.
5. Strategic Partnerships and Innovation: Funded by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and located at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), VisioNxt leverages its extensive network of 18 campuses and a strong alumni base. The lab has developed ‘Deep Vision’, an indigenous trend forecasting system that combines artificial intelligence (AI) and emotional intelligence (EI) to generate actionable insights for the fashion industry.

The 6 pillars of VisioNxt

Vizionext spotters are trained using a specific training module called “TrendOrb”, which is based on 6 pillars of learning, namely – Scan, Capture, Map, Cluster, Analyze and Present, in that order.

This rigorous training process enables trend spotters to view a plethora of endless visual cues and present new observations and conclusions. Constant dialogue in our private social network channels ensures that ‘hypes’ are separated from ‘directions’ and ‘shifts’ are mapped not only in fashion but also in the cultural and psychological space in which we operate. Big data and “deepvision” help process this vast amount of information on a daily basis into specific, ever-evolving dynamic trend clusters.

How does VisioNxt work?

VisioNxt uses a hybrid model to map emerging trends and forecasts using an advanced deep learning system called “DeepVision”. The model is built on a rich dataset containing over 54,000 primary and 33,000 secondary images. After being successfully tested, it has a leading Indian fashion-wear taxonomy, curated in-house, covering over 60 indigenous and 40 western product categories.

The “DeepVision” model decodes patterns and interprets fashion trends in India, such as differentiating between kurtas and kurtis, recognising colours such as red or yellow, and noting plain or striped, short or long styles. Using convolutional neural network architecture in VisioNxt’s Insights Lab, these insights are turned into comprehensive reports with design and colour recommendations.

As a groundbreaking AI deep learning model developed in-house, “DeepVision” accurately identifies over 60 categories of Indian apparel and 40 categories of western apparel, paving the way for machine learning applications – a first in India. The initiative also involved the creation of a detailed dataset featuring over 70,000 primary apparel images and over 280,000 secondary images, allowing analysis of key apparel attributes such as style, colour and regional influences.

VisioNxt stands out as the only trend insights research lab in India to collect this comprehensive data through a network of over 800 trained trend spotters across 16 cities. These spotters not only capture the mood and sentiment of everyday life but also capture emerging product details and DIY trends through a unique ethical image collection platform.

Click here to read this article in Hindi.

Source – PIB