Institutional Network

International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI)

This exclusive body, of which Pearl Academy of Fashion is a member since 1998, consists of over 40 highly reputed fashion schools in the world. Indeed, the global secretariat of the foundation is hosted by the Academy. Each year Pearl Academy of Fashion faculty members present papers at the IFFTI Conference. In 2010 in the conference at Taipei, Taiwan, Pearl Academy of Fashion was the single largest contributor with eleven papers by its faculty. Pearl Academy of Fashion has been recently elected for a second consecutive term to the high powered Executive Committee of IFFTI; it is the only Fashion Technology Institute from India enjoying a global leadership role.

DelPHE

Under the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) scheme, DelPHE (Development Partnerships in Higher Education), Pearl Academy of Fashion in association with the School of Design, Northumbria University and Dastkar, India’s leading NGO in the crafts sector, has received a 3-year project grant for undertaking research-based interventions in select craft clusters in India. The Project involves capturing the collective experiences of multidisciplinary team of Pearl Academy of Fashion’s students and faculty from India and Northumbria University of UK in partnership with Dastkar to develop the creative practices and potential earning power of an emerging cluster of craftspeople. The objective of this experiential learning is to develop an understanding of the key issues that confront artisans and needs to be addressed in creating viable and ethical craft enterprise, to inform curriculum development and later delivery in the areas of ethical design and sustainability.

NISTI

The North India Section of the Textile Institute (NISTI regd.) is a subsidiary of the Textile Institute, Manchester, which is an international professional association spanning every sector and occupation in the supply chain relating to fibres and their uses. NISTI conducts varied activities for the professional development of members. Biennially, NISTI organises international conferences. The conferencesheld in 2004 and 2006 with organisational support of Pearl Academy of Fashion were on themes of "Innovations in the Textile Industry" and "Natural Fibres" respectively. The 2008 conference, organised jointly with Pearl Academy of Fashion, was on the theme, "Sustainability in the Textile Fashion Industry Chain: Crop to Shop".
The 2011 conference “Textiles: A Decade Ahead” attracted widespread attention.

DEFRA

The Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF) at London College of Fashion, U.K. developed the DEFRA project with Pearl Academy of Fashion under the UK: India Sustainable Development Dialogue (SDD) for "Promoting Indian Sustainable Textiles" to address the sustainability impacts of the textile industry in India caused by pattern of UK consumption. The project incorporated three strands:

• R & D into Indian sustainable materials for fashion application
• Shared Talent Project where both UK and Indian designers collaborated to develop innovative applications for the specified materials
• Visual Narratives of the project through film and still photography to promote the textiles and designers involved, leading to wider commercialization of the project

The DEFRA Sustainable Textiles Project identified over a hundred suppliers of sustainable Indian textiles whose information is being profiled through an online sourcing toolkit. To complement the online toolkit, a catalogue was developed to be utilized by both Pearl Academy of Fashion and London College of Fashion.

Hong Kong Research Institute for Textiles and Apparel, HK