The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bhubaneswar to promote rich art and culture of the state has opened up a new department of fashion design which was inaugurated by the Union textiles secretary Sanjay Kumar Panda on Saturday.

The NIFT students, on this occasion organized an exhibition of designs.

The new infrastructure will help student work better. The students should work to boost the traditional art and craft of the state, said Panda at the inauguration ceremony.

The four-year degree programme in fashion design had already been launched and students were in the second year. But due to lack of infrastructure, the department could not be started.

The new department will help in contemporizing traditional arts. The students of fashion designing course conduct craft diagnostic study by visiting different rural artisans and working with them. They learn their techniques and also share their ideas with them, said the coordinator of the fashion design department, Monika Aggarwal.

Students of the department went on a cluster visit to places across the state such as Raghurajpur, Pipili, Kantilo, Kotpad and Nuapatna.

The students visited each of these places in groups of five and collected designs and fabric from these places and used them to make contemporary garments and accessories such as bangles, earrings and necklaces. They made use of pattachitra from Raghurajpur to make skirts and jackets.