Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design (PIFD) is Pakistan’s premier design Institute. Today, the Institute has four Schools and six Departments. Located in Johar Town Lahore, it is a purpose-built campus on 47 kanals of land.
The Institute has grown rapidly in the past few years and the journey is not yet over.
To put everyone in the know, the establishment started with one discipline in rented premises.
The cotton and textile industry is at the heart of Pakistan’s economy. The idea to establish a school for design education germinated in the early 90s, as there was a great demand for boosting the country’s textile products and not enough professionals to do so. There was a need to fill the vacuum in the industry with skilled resources equipped with technical know-how as Pakistan had to forge its way in the international arena for textile products and compete in the global fashion market.
It was with this vision that the Ministry for Commerce, together with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, established Pakistan School of Fashion Design (PSFD) in 1995 at a rented premise at Sunder Das Road Lahore.
Mrs. Abbassi Akhtar took charge as the first Principal and an affiliation was established with the one of the oldest and most renowned fashion schools of the world: the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. The Ecole de la Chambre worked very closely with PSFD to draw out a comprehensive four-year curriculum in Fashion Design.
Qualified faculty was recruited from within and outside of Pakistan, and they were put through training by foreign consultants and at foreign Institutes to ensure adherence to high international standards.
