NIFT Srinagar

About NIFT Srinagar

NIFT Srinagar was established in 2012 and is India's northernmost NIFT campus, located in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The campus operates in the most craft-intensive region in India by density and historical depth: Kashmir's textile and craft traditions, ranging from Pashmina shawls and Sozni embroidery to Kani weave, papier mache, walnut wood carving, and hand-knotted carpets, are among the most technically sophisticated in the world. To study fashion design here is to be surrounded by living traditions that have supplied royal courts, luxury markets, and international collectors for centuries.

Pashmina, derived from the soft undercoat of the Changthangi goat raised on the high-altitude Changthang plateau of Ladakh, is among the world's finest fibres. The processing and weaving of Pashmina shawls in Kashmir is a multi-generational skill: spinning the fibre by hand, weaving on a traditional loom, and applying Sozni or Kani embroidery all require years of apprenticeship. Sozni embroidery uses a single-thread needlework technique to create intricate floral patterns over the entire surface of a shawl, while Kani weave incorporates coloured pattern directly into the weft using small wooden bobbins (kanis), a technique related to Jacquard weaving. The resulting shawls can take months or years to complete and sell internationally for thousands of dollars. For a Textile Design student, studying in Srinagar means working directly with some of the world's most skilled textile artisans.

NIFT Srinagar offers 3 B.Des programmes: Fashion Design, Textile Design, and Fashion Communication. The B.Des intake is 80 seats per year. The campus is the only NIFT in Jammu and Kashmir, serving students from the union territory and surrounding northern states who want government design education within the region. The smaller intake ensures close studio mentorship and deep engagement with the surrounding craft ecosystem.

The 4-year B.Des fee ranges from Rs 7 to 9 lakhs. Srinagar's cost of living is moderate, and the campus is accessible from across the country, with regular air connectivity to Delhi and Mumbai. Admission follows the NIFT entrance exam process via NTA: GAT, CAT, and Situation Test. Applications open in November at exams.nta.nic.in/niftee.

NIFT Srinagar graduates find careers in luxury textile design, Pashmina-focused fashion labels, sustainable craft entrepreneurship, and export-oriented artisan organisations. Several alumni work directly with master craftspeople, developing products for international luxury buyers who source Kashmiri craft. The campus has connections with the Jammu and Kashmir government's craft development bodies and with craft exporters who supply the global market for Kashmiri textiles.

For students serious about luxury textile design, sustainable craft practice, or in building a career rooted in the world's finest natural fibres and embroidery traditions, NIFT Srinagar offers something no other campus in India can: direct daily immersion in Kashmir's living craft traditions. Students who study here gain a depth of exposure to master craftspeople that is available nowhere else in the NIFT network.