Indo-French Cooperation in AI in Fashion and Design (AIfaD)

French Embassy in India launches cooperation in AI in Fashion and Design with a conference in Bangalore

AI in Fashion and Design conference (AIFaD 2022) is an attempt by the French Institute and the Embassy of France in India together with the Consulate General of Bangalore to bring together experts (also academicians) and entrepreneurs in the field of AI, fashion and design who work at this interface (from both India and France).

This was a 2 day program on the 4th and 5th of April which comprised seminars, panel discussions and ending with a Hackathon by students from design, fashion engineering and management schools from India and France working together to solve the current problems towards a sustainable tomorrow. The hackathon was hosted by IIIT Bangalore under the umbrella of MINRO where 49 students from both India and France participated in a hybrid mode.

The key objectives include, Indo-French partnerships in academia for student exchanges, co-designed curriculum under the framework of merged prospects of arts and science, French industry investment in working for sustainability in skillset, employability and integrating French culture in India by using the right proportion of technology and culture which are the strengths of France.

Science Curio Series: “The role of AI in the fashion and design industry”

Some of the keypartners in the conference and the project to follow are ITBT ministry of Karnataka, Textile and Tourism Ministry of Karnataka, DST, International sericulture commission, Technicolor, Silk me back (Lyon) and the Royal House of Mysore amongst several others.

The conference was inaugurated by the Consul General of France in Bangalore, Mr. Thierry Berthelot and the panel discussions and talks were kickstarted by a dual key note by the Maharani of Mysore Palace, HH Dr. Pramoda Devi Wadiyar and the silk expert from Lyon, Ms. Isabelle Moulin who is also the head of Silk me Back in Lyon. Ms. Moulin also announced the entry of Bangalore into the Silk network of Lyon which would further facilitate Indo French cooperation in sericulture and textile industry.

The conference was centered around the technological challenges and advancements of AI in the design and fashion industry in a multi dimensional manner- be it at the level of design, manufacturing or marketing. The audience comprised a good number of design, fashion, management and computer science students who would find this platform a useful opportunity to take home messages that could be efficiently incorporated into their career and learning paths.

The conference culminated in a hackathon finale presentation by students from LISAA school of design, Strate school of Design, IICD, Srishti Manipal Institute, IIITB, Aivancity paris Cachan, ITECH Lyon, Rennes school of Business. This was the final presentation of a hackathon hosted at IIITB and co sponsored by MINRO on the 2nd and 3rd of April. The winning team was given a trip to Paris by the Embassy of France in India and the French Institute in India to attend the summer school sponsored by Aivancity Paris Cachan.