28th August 2021, Mumbai:
INDIAsize, a collaborative project of the Ministry of Textiles (MoT) and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), was officially inaugurated in Delhi to bring India's standard size chart to the textile business. Despite the fact that the project was launched in February 2019, it was postponed due to the pandemic.
The National Institute of Fashion Technology is doing an intensive anthropometric research study in order to establish a comprehensive body size chart for the Indian population. The new sizing chart will include a size identification number generated by mapping, categorising, and describing body size and type. Only roughly 18 countries in the world have their own sizing charts at the moment.
The survey's Delhi leg is now in progress, with a goal of reaching 5,700 people. “The textile business is the country's second largest employment, generating roughly Rs. 140 billion, of which Rs. 100 billion comes from Indian customers alone,” said UP Singh, Secretary, Textiles. We only make roughly Rs. 40 billion in exports. For a long time, there has been a need for uniform sizing. We are now undertaking size surveys across six Indian regions, namely Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Shillong, and Kolkata, utilising INDIAsize.” More than 25,000 persons between the ages of 15 and 65 will be weighed and measured.
“We are employing roughly 100 anthropometric data points from each of the participants,” said Shantmanu, DG, NIFT. For us at NIFT, the study is also a scientific research project. Participants will be of all ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, and ethnicities. All of the information will aid in the development of a complete and uniform sizing chart.”
NIFT is using a safe 3D whole body scanning technology to collect anthropometric data from a sample population. It adheres to all international national size survey norms, and the results can then be used by the apparel industry. The desire to create a ‘India-specific' size chart is a reflection of a worldwide debate now raging in the fashion business. Many worldwide fast fashion firms have been chastised for using body type descriptions such as small, large, medium, and extra-large on their labels. The survey's preliminary findings will be released in a few months, and the entire project is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. International clothing firms are expected to sign up and follow the new sizing guide.
“It's solid commercial sense,” said Noopur Anand, professor at NIFT and the project's primary investigator. Returning ill-fitting and incorrect-sized clothing costs a lot of money and time. H&M, for example, has expressed enthusiasm for the move.”
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