NEW DELHI: Trendz, the fashion and style channel from the Zee stable, has announced a tie up with National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to encourage and promote budding fashion designers in India, today.

The channel has constituted the 'trendz fashion award' for outstanding performers at Nift and plans to develop an exclusive half an hour programme on the award-winning designers, says a company release.

The trendz award will be given to the most promising fashion designer, who will be selected from the seven centers of Nift. The award will be conferred to the winner at Nift's annual event 'Confluence'. The initiative will offer the upcoming designers a platform and also act as a video portfolio for the award winner.

The release quoted Nift director general Gauri Kumar as saying, "We are delighted to partner with trendz as it will provide an excellent platform for our students to showcase their talent and gain visibility. We look forward to working with trendz to present the real issues that are facing the fashion Industry and look beyond the association of fashion with just ramp shows."

Zee Turner CEO Sunil Khanna was quoted as saying, "We are committed to promoting the Indian fashion Industry and given that the most promising designers in India are from Nift, we felt that we should work with them to give a further boost to the industry. Our attempt through this tie-up is to provide a stage for the budding designers to highlight their creativity and encapsulate all the hard work that goes into making award-winning designs."