“TDV’s strength lies in its new age ethnographic, value-driven methodologies and experiential learning formats; EDNA brings a deeply industry-driven approach,” said Sourabh Gupta, Founder, The Design Village. “Together, this cooperation is unique and transformative.”
“Design bears the responsibility of representing the world of tomorrow,” said Christian Guellerin, Executive Director, L’École de Design Nantes Atlantique. “Given India’s future significance, both culturally and economically, the establishment of TNDV in partnership with The Design Village goes far beyond the creation of a new school. The aim is to build an international university that welcomes students from across the globe to imagine, think, innovate, launch ventures, and build a world that is meaningful, equitable and peaceful.”
Under this partnership, students will graduate holding both an Indian degree and a French diploma from EDNA, a distinction still rare among Indian design institutions. Students train across Product & Industrial Design, Communication & Interaction Design, Interior & Space Design, and Fashion & Textile Design, with TDV’s existing programmes adapted specifically for this collaboration. Above these sits a Master’s in Strategic Design & Management.
All teaching is conducted in English. Students are also taught conversational French while still in India, so they arrive in France prepared to live, study and work within French industry.
“Balancing rootedness in India with genuine exposure abroad is harder than it sounds,” said Vidur Madhav, Director, Academic Innovation & Future Learning, The Design Village. “Having studied outside India for five years myself, I know how easy it is to lose that connection along the way. This programme gets that balance right.”
France holds one of the oldest and most disciplined design traditions in the world, sitting at the intersection of craft, industry and innovation, empowering tomorrow’s design pioneers with a global outlook. Studying within that tradition changes how a designer thinks, not only what they produce, and this partnership brings that tradition within reach of Indian students without requiring a full relocation. Faculty move in both directions as part of the programme, with EDNA faculty teaching inside TDV and TDV faculty teaching inside EDNA.
The academic structure places time in France in the middle of a student’s journey rather than at either end. Bachelor’s students spend two of their four years in Nantes, framed by a foundation year and a final year in India. Master’s students spend one year in France within a two-year programme. Students move between two design cultures built to complement rather than compete, India for grounding in material culture, inherent sustainable practices and contextual understanding, and France for a mature, industry-driven design language.
“After years of working together through transcultural design studios, that relationship has grown into something more, a true partnership, built to give students the best of both worlds,” said Mridu Sahai, Co-founder, The Design Village. “Pathway programmes have existed before, but this one is different. It is pedagogy first, not convenience first. The responsibility is shared, it is plural. We call it The Nantes Design Village.”
TNDV stands as a shared commitment to empowering tomorrow’s design pioneers.
TNDV is now open for admissions. For more information, visit www.thedesignvillage.org
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