Kolkata :

The City of Joy is getting ready to host the regional chapter of the National Fashion Olympiad. Organized jointly by the National Institute of Fashion Technology and the Union textiles ministry, the idea of the event is to put Kolkata on the world fashion map.

The Olympiad, which will highlight Kolkata’s young fashion talent, will be organized during November 11-13. The motto of this year’s fashion contest is “Sanyogam” or eternal connectivity of youth.

Students from Kolkata’s leading educational institutes, such as the La Martieniere for Boy and Girls, St Xavier’s College, Presidency University, Jadavpur University and Calcutta University, will take part in the National Fashion Olympiad (NFO). The competition will be open to students between 15 and 24 years of age. Students from IIT-Kharagpur and IIM-Kolkata will also be asked to take part at the Fashion Olympiad on the NIFT Kolkata campus.

The premier fashion institute has pioneered the unique initiative so that a platform can be offered to young talented individuals to test their skill and talent in specialized field of fashion. The regional-level competition will be held at various NIFT centres across the country, while the finale will take place in a metro city.

Though fashion designing is still in its nascent stage in Kolkata, the fashion Olympiad promises to catapult young talents with its beehive of activities showcasing what’s chic in fashion, interspersed with shows, exhibition, workshop and symposia.

“It has been our constant endeavour to hone new talents. Now, fashion students of the city will get the opportunity to display their creativity at this platform ,” said Bibekananda Banerjee, director of NIFT, Kolkata.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Ajanta Chakraborty, TNN / October 29th, 2014