NIFT Wins Two Silver Medals at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026

Students of the National Institute of Fashion Technology won two silver medals and one Medal for Excellence at the 48th WorldSkills Competition held in Shanghai, China. The Ministry of Textiles announced the result on 29 September 2026.

The competition

WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 ran from 23 to 26 September 2026. More than 1,400 young competitors from about 68 countries and regions took part across 64 skills. India sent its largest contingent so far, 70 competitors in 63 skills, and finished in tenth position with 6 silver medals and 20 Medals for Excellence.

Who won what for NIFT

NIFT was represented in four skill areas: Fashion Technology, Visual Merchandising, Retail Sales and Digital Interactive Media Design. Its participants took medals in three of them.

• Kovid Ajay Gangrade of NIFT Mumbai won a silver medal in Digital Interactive Media Design.
• Saniya Joshi of NIFT Panchkula won a silver medal in Retail Sales.
• Vidhi Niravkumar Suthar, a Fashion Design graduate of NIFT Gandhinagar, received a Medal for Excellence in Fashion Technology.
• Anuja Ajay Vare of NIFT Bengaluru represented India in Visual Merchandising.

Retail Sales and Digital Interactive Media Design are among the newer skill categories brought into focus at Shanghai, which points to how far technology, digital platforms and customer experience have entered the fashion trade.

How the competitor was prepared

Vidhi Suthar went through a four-month training programme at NIFT New Delhi. Professor Monika Gupta served as the Indian Expert and led the training team, working on technical precision, adherence to international standards and the ability to perform under competition conditions. Fashion Technology is the skill in which NIFT has the longest record at WorldSkills, having entered it since 2011.

Why the result counts

For the institute, the contest is a measure against global occupational standards, new technologies and industry expectations, and the experience feeds back into its own training methods. The medals span fashion, technology, retail and digital work, the mix that the creative industries now demand. NIFT thanked its students, experts, trainers and officials along with the Ministry of Textiles for the preparation behind the showing.