NIFT Students Win Two Silver Medals at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026
NIFT participants won two silver medals and a Medal for Excellence at the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, where India placed tenth overall.
The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has reported a strong showing at the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, with its students and experts representing India across four skill areas: Fashion Technology, Digital Interactive Media Design, Retail Sales and Visual Merchandising.
Held in Shanghai, China, from 23 to 26 September 2026, the competition drew more than 1,400 young competitors from around 68 countries and regions, spread across 64 skills. India fielded its largest contingent to date — 70 competitors in 63 skills — and finished tenth overall with six silver medals and 20 Medals for Excellence.
NIFT's participants accounted for two silver medals and one Medal for Excellence across three skill categories.
In Digital Interactive Media Design, Kovid Ajay Gangrade of NIFT Mumbai won silver, while Saniya Joshi of NIFT Panchkula took silver in Retail Sales. Both skills are among the newer categories featured at the Shanghai edition, reflecting the growing role of technology, digital platforms and customer experience in the fashion and creative industries.
In Fashion Technology, a skill in which NIFT has competed since 2011, Vidhi Niravkumar Suthar, a Fashion Design graduate from NIFT Gandhinagar, received a Medal for Excellence. She trained for four months at NIFT New Delhi under Prof. (Dr.) Monika Gupta, the Indian Expert, and the institute's training team. The programme focused on technical proficiency, precision, adherence to international standards and performance under competition conditions.
Anuja Ajay Vare of NIFT Bengaluru represented India in Visual Merchandising.
NIFT said its engagement with the competition gives students exposure to global occupational standards, emerging technologies and industry expectations, and helps the institute align its training methods with international benchmarks. It thanked its students, experts, trainers and officials, as well as the Ministry of Textiles, for their role in the preparation and participation.