ARCH & Perth College, UHI, Scotland, have jointly received a 45,000 GBP, UKIERI 2012 grant for Institutional Capacity Building. Administered through the British Council, the grant funded activities and planned implementation of a 2-year project titled “Communication and Application of Design to Promote Mutual Creative & Cultural Industries”. The project facilitated the building of a comprehensive curriculum & the co–development of an online portal – ‘The Design communication portal’, containing shared materials for three distinct course components at beginner and advanced levels. It also allowed an exchange of academic and administrative staff and students while conducting lectures, organising symposia and exploring the potential for curriculum development in cultural heritage and tourism — linked to sustainable development. The project aided exchange of academic information and materials and development of potential academic research to investigate India’s cultural heritage within the context of rural economy and sustainability.
ARCH hosted an International Cultural Governance workshop in India as a part of a 9 country tour with ENCATC (European Network Cultural Management and Policy)under the leadership of Prof. Annick Schramme & Prof. Ian King. Government of Rajasthan pitched in with ARCH, the organizing host institution in India, to the International Cultural Governance 2017 project. ARCH facilitated & coordinated the bringing together of key people involved in the challenges of managing arts and cultural organisations in India
ARCH Founder-Director, Ms Archana Surana was invited by the London College of Fashion (LCF) to present a Project proposal at the Fashion Colloquia 2013 held in London. Her concept paper titled “Innovation in Development of Indigenous Eco Crafts for High Fashion Global Market’ discussed how the shift from synthetic dyes to natural dyes can provide sustainable livelihood solutions to vulnerable craft communities of the world and improve local economies by reducing the environmental impact of harmful chemical dyes.
The NWFC provides a platform for research on the many, unique fashion histories from across the world that remain lesser known to the popular industry of Fashion. NWFC 2016, held at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, explored the contribution of small and medium fashion companies towards the sustainable development of their local communities.
Founder- Director ARCH Ms. Archana Surana was the keynote speaker at the event and presented her paper on, ‘Heritage Crafts in Fashion Business – Tradition to Modernity.’ In addition, final year students of Fashion Design courses, Megha Goyal and Akshita Airan were also invited to present their research papers.
A global honour was bestowed upon ARCH as it bagged 4th position in the prestigious competition of "French Luxury 2074" by the globally reputed design institutions association, Cumulus.
Ms. Archana Surana, Founder and Director, ARCH attended the Cumulus Working Group’s meeting in Finland. The Cumulus Rovaniemi 2019 conference “Around the Campfire - Resilience and Intelligence" was hosted by The Faculty of Art and Design of the University of Lapland to discuss the themes of resilience and intelligence.
The 21st edition of IFFTI (International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes) Conference held from 8th to 12th April 2019 at the Manchester Fashion Institute (MFI), Manchester. Theme for the conference was “FASHION ID", intended to celebrate the dynamism of fashion.
ARCH Founder and Director, Ms. Archana Surana attended a series of events at MFI. The theme brought together researchers, industry experts and academicians to talk about Influences, communities which define and shape our individual sense of fashion and identity, fashion’s conscience in balancing profits with societal damage, social and economic future considerations of fashion, and the possibility of a ‘non’ identity.
ARCH student Shruti Vinayak garment - Mink 'Mean Sky' under the theme Meenakari was shortlistedand was showcased by models on the ramp at the IFFTI conference.
Antwerp Management School on its 60th anniversary, invited our Founder & Director Ms. Archana Surana as a special guest. She was on a panel speaking on “The Future of Fashion” with Bianca Luzi, CEO Raf simons, Karinna Nobbs, Fashion Futuristic, Affiliate Professor, London, George Bouvier, Academia Cerebra, Istituto Marangoni, Milano and Annick Schramme, University of Antwerp, Antwerp Management School. The session focused on the impact on digitization and globalization on the local independent designer. Also the need for more entrepreneurial skills for starting labels.
Fashion Colloquium 2020, was the Third series of Fashion Colloquia recognizing the importance of a ‘Responsible’ future. It was hosted by the ARCH College of Design & Business in Jaipur. Following the forerunning events, the Fashion Colloquia in Jaipur brought forward themes with particular relevance to the specific location. It allowed varied different sets of contributions to be added and explored, within a responsible and interdisciplinary frame and context in order to invest in a shared & sustainable future for fashion. The speakers at the event also belonged to varied backgrounds from Academicians, Industry experts, Designers and Craft Promoters. There were various workshops conducted from garment pattern making to dyeing techniques.