Dharmendra Kumar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Fashion Design at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Patna, and currently serves as the Campus Coordinator for the Fashion Design Department. An award-winning alumnus of NIFT New Delhi, he has more than 16 years of professional and academic experience in the fashion industry, higher education, and craft research. He has worked with renowned Indian fashion designer Manish Arora and specializes in apparel design, couture, bespoke, pattern making, and garment construction. His research interests include couture, bespoke design, pattern making, craft research, and value-added apparel development. He has published a research paper in the International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology.

His project, “Design Development, Capacity Building, Production of Value-Added Khadi Apparel and Branding of Bihar Khadi,” was sanctioned by the Bihar Khadi Board, Government of Bihar. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was appointed as the Head Trainer for mask-making initiatives conducted across all districts of Bihar. He serves as a member of the Board of Studies (BoS) and as a Committee Member in the Skill Development Department at Gopal Narayan Singh University. His professional interests encompass industry–academia collaboration, craft and fashion research, innovation in design education, and the advancement of sustainable fashion and textile practices. He is committed to fostering academic excellence, promoting research-driven learning, and strengthening linkages between traditional craft knowledge and contemporary design innovation.