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ICH NEXT partners with Fynd
Mumbai: ICH NEXT, India’s homegrown fashion forecaster, has partnered with Reliance-backed Fynd, a multiplatform tech firm. As part of this collaboration, Fynd gains access to ICH NEXT’s dashboard with trend reports for the next couple of years. All brands and businesses offline/online in fashion and lifestyle working with Fynd including Reliance Trends, Ajio.com, Ancestry, Avantra By Trends, Azorte, Yousta etc will be able to leverage insights from ICH NEXT, which is already revamping the Indian fashion & lifestyle space while empowering manufacturers/brands across the country.
“ICH NEXT via its comprehensive trend reports aims to empower Fynd with indigenous India-centric research, accurate trend acumen and the creative development process across design, buying, planning and marketing. While the present service directly benefits all the Indian wear brands, it can also be of interest to non-Indian wear brands, to gain insight into the country’s present sentiments and broader market trends. You never know what sparks off the next great idea,” said ICH NEXT co-founder and chief creator Anuradha Chandrashekar, on the impact of the multipronged collaboration with the tech giant.
Elaborating further on ICH NEXT vision, the company’s co-founder Kanika Vohra said, “This association is a win-win proposition as the fashion industry ultimately strives towards consumer satisfaction, of which the crux is well-researched, well-made products delivered at the right price and at the right time. While markets expand, businesses need to find a unique voice to break through clutter, stay relevant to consumer aspiration and timely tap on the right trends. This future reality is precisely what ICH NEXT is focused on – to aid and abet brands, manufacturers, retailers, labels, etc. to have access to future consumer-relevant trends.”
Fynd director of business finance Rahul Mandowara added, “Fynd’s unrelenting motto is ‘powering delightful shopping experiences for everyone, everywhere’, which perfectly aligns with ICH’s tryst towards ‘conscious creation of on-trend fashion that delivers to consumer aspiration, and ultimately delight’. Fynd serves varied digital solutions and eventually efficiencies across the entire value chain in fashion & lifestyle. We believe that this partnership is a step towards the future of fashion & lifestyle retail in India.”
Terming the partnership with Reliance-backed Fynd as ‘the beginning’, ICH NEXT has declared that it is in the process of deep investments and expansion in automation to heighten accuracy in trend reads and increase creativity, thereby benefitting users more effectively. The announcement comes close on the heels of ICH NEXT launching a nationwide masterclass for industry stakeholders and manufacturers from diverse geographies. The first leg of it, titled ‘Unlock Business Success through In-Depth research’, was recently held in Jaipur.
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AI Impact Summit ’26: Adobe offers Firefly, Photoshop free to Indian students
Adobe to equip 15,000 schools, 500 colleges with free AI tools
NEW DELHI: Adobe has unveiled a major education-focused investment to expand access to its AI-powered creative and productivity tools for students in India, as the company deepens its alignment with the government’s skilling and creator-economy ambitions.
Announced at the India AI Impact Summit, the initiative will provide applications such as Firefly, Photoshop and Acrobat free of charge to students through accredited higher education institutions across the country. The package includes software access, structured curriculum, training modules and industry-recognised credentials.
The programme supports the government’s ‘Create in India’ vision and the Union Budget 2026 goal of generating two million jobs in the animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) sector by 2030.
Working with the government, Adobe said it will make its AI tools and learning resources available at no cost to 15,000 schools and 500 colleges equipped with Content Creator Labs.
Shantanu Narayen, chair and ceo of Adobe, said the move would expand creative opportunity for millions of Indian students while accelerating the prime minister’s vision for a digitally skilled workforce.
Adobe said Firefly integrates creative AI models from partners including Google, OpenAI and Runway, enabling users to generate content using multiple models. Acrobat Pro will support productivity and collaboration tasks such as editing text and images.
Separately, Adobe India has partnered with NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime, a digital skilling initiative backed by the ministry of electronics and information technology, to offer free courses and certifications. The programmes are aimed at preparing students for roles across design, animation, gaming, marketing, media, e-commerce and technology.
