Bhubaneswar: National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) students teamed up with Bollywood art director Sukant Panigrahy to create installations that blend fashion with film industry nuances.

Students of all departments, including visual merchandising, fashion communication, brand communication and marketing communication, collaborated to create artworks such as props, backdrops and background designs under the artist's guidance. A three-day workshop with an exhibition of the artworks concluded on Friday.

"The aim is to promote industry-academic interactions. We have invited noted professionals from various fields to provide inputs about the industry requirements and challenges as well as ignite the students' creative minds and give required practical exposure," said NIFT, Bhubaneswar, director Sanjay Shrivastava.

The students were encouraged to make creative use of space, utilise waste materials and conserve nature. They were also taught how important fashion was in set or art designs.

"There are lots of opportunities in production and art designing, but there is also a lack of awareness among people about these jobs," said Panigrahy.

"I tried to create awareness about opportunities in the film industry and also art and production designs. Earlier, I had been grossly disappointed as I found no one interested, but gradually things are changing," he said.

For the students, the experience was enriching.

"I found it really interesting to blend digital with physical elements and underwent the process from conceiving an idea to transforming it into reality," said Yashwant Yadav, a fashion and lifestyle design student.

Talking about working with Panigrahy, fashion and lifestyle design student Chandni Khandelwal said: "Conservation and protection of nature, in all its forms, were always at the top of his mind. Under him, we got to explore career opportunities in Bollywood as well."

Panigrahy, who worked in films such as Gangajal, No One Killed Jessica, Drishyam, Chak De India, Holiday, Ek Tha Tiger and Dil To Pagal Hai spoke to the students about his journey and the challenges he faced in the process.

"This exposure will help a lot in creating more employment opportunities for our students. We are planning more such interactions with industry stalwarts in the future," said Binay Bhusan Jena, associate professor in fashion management studies at the institute.