The 1st BUFT National Apparel Festival 2026, organized by the BUFT Apparel Club (BAC), concluded on July 19 at the BUFT Campus after two days of competitions, exhibitions, seminars, and cultural programs.
The festival brought together over 2,000 undergraduate students from textile, fashion, and apparel engineering backgrounds across 32 universities, colleges, and student clubs from throughout Bangladesh.
The festival commenced on July 18 with an opening ceremony held at the Multipurpose Hall. Prof Engr Ayub Nabi Khan, vice chancellor (designate) of BUFT, chaired the session.
Faruque Hassan, chairman of the board of trustees, attended as chief guest.
Special guests included Md Moslem Uddin, director of the technical wing (current charge) of the Bangladesh Jute Research Institute (BJRI), Ferdous Ara Dilruba, director (Jute Textile/PTC) of BJRI, and Eng Nazmina Chowdhury, chief scientific officer (Jute Textile Wing) of BJRI.
Also present were Prof Md Alamgir Hossain, pro-vice chancellor (acting), Prof Engr Mohammed Rubaiyat Chowdhury, dean of the Faculty of Apparel Studies, Prof Md Waliul Alam, director of Students' Welfare Office, Md Monirul Islam Rajib, assistant professor and head of the Department of AMT, and Shadman Quamar Mahir, adviser of BUFT Apparel Club.
The program began with the opening ceremony, followed by the preliminary rounds of competitions.
The competitions included the Apparel Olympiad, a quiz competition testing knowledge on global fashion trends and textile science, and the 300 Seconds Innovation poster presentation, which focused on textile sustainability and apparel fashion innovations.
Workshops and engagement activities were also conducted during the first day.
The second day of the festival featured a full schedule of events.
The morning session was dedicated to the final rounds of competitions and student exhibitions at the Exhibition Arena.
This was followed by seminar sessions and masterclasses at the Multipurpose Hall.
Faruque Hassan, chairman, BoT, BUFT was chief guest.
Special guests included Fakir Kamruzzaman Nahid, managing director of Fakir Fashion; Showkat Aziz Russell, president of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA); Amal Podder, senior vice president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA); Mohammad Sohel Sadat, chairman of Shin Shin Group; Alvin Ahmed, assistant director of Britannia Garment Packaging; Sharmeen Hassan Tithi, director, Giant Group; and Prof Engr Ayub Nabi Khan, vice chancellor (designate), BUFT.
Rajib Singha, vice president of HR and admin at Pearl Global Industries Ltd (PGIL), delivered the keynote address.
After a lunch break the afternoon session began with a prize giving ceremony at the Multipurpose Hall, where winners of the various competitions were recognized.
A fashion show was then presented on the main stage, followed by a cultural event and concert, which marked the official conclusion of the two-day national program.
