On Saturday, Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Finance Minister, urged design, textile, and leather students to honor the nation’s rich legacy by creating globally liked and environmentally friendly fashions. She discussed the traditional originality and brightness of the design of the nation’s weavers, who employed various materials and textiles, during an interactive session with students from institutions like NIFT.
She stated, “So, my very humble request for all design students, be it in textile or be it in leather, and I want us to look at the richness that India’s heritage has brought in every walk of our life with outstanding, practical and now so popular, sustainable design, utilizing sustainable materials.
“Those of us who wish to advance in the design field should learn more about the designs that India has created using many sustainable approaches and return to it rather than looking for newer materials,” she said. “Please restore those materials that have been highly sustainable.”
Above all, she argued, design should be for the comfort of life rather than only for fashion. Use materials appropriate for the environment in which we live, she said. She suggested that consumers should help craftspeople by purchasing more of their creations. Sitharaman was responding to a question on how the handicraft and weaving sector might be strengthened. Later, when speaking to a group, she referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech to the country from the Red Fort outlining his ‘Panch Pran’ (five resolves) target to make India a developed nation by 2047.
She said that the five principles, when considered collectively, spoke about recognizing the rich cultural history and, just as crucially, about abandoning what the people of the country have been passing down due to the existence of an imperial ruler.
“This informs us that the spirit that must rule the next 25 years must emanate from the Prime Minister’s speech, especially for the young brains like yours in these institutions. Keep in mind the rich history of the past. India’s contribution to the world, “She spoke. She said organizations like the National Institute of Design (NID) should broaden their focus to consider other fields in which design may be helpful commercially.
The Minister recommended that organizations like the Indian Institute of Packaging seek industry collaboration to advance and deepen their work. She addressed a gathering of local academics, staff, and alums from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, the National Institute of Design, and other institutions. A Talk on Digitalization, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship – Pillars of Indian Economic Growth was the focus of the engagement. Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, and Textiles, also attended the event.
