Mr. Somnath Mane is an Assistant Professor in the Fashion & Lifestyle Accessories Department at NIFT Mumbai. With a strong foundation in Fine Arts and over a decade of professional experience spanning creative industries and academia, he specializes in Sketching and Rendering, visualisation, material exploration, design aesthetics, digital design, and experience design. His multidisciplinary expertise includes drawing, painting, sculpture, pottery, metalwork, interior design, and computer graphics. Before joining academia, he worked across advertising, art direction for set design, museum projects, print media, and digital media, enriching his teaching with extensive industry insights.
His academic interests focus on design education, material experimentation, visualization techniques, fashion technology, and digital design. He teaches courses in material exploration, visualization and representation, elements of design, art and design aesthetics, and digital design. At NIFT Mumbai, he has contributed to institutional initiatives through academic coordination, curriculum delivery, craft cluster activities, faculty training, and major events including Design Sutra, Indigo Exhibition, Spectrum, Converge, and graduation showcases. He has also delivered Continuing Education programmes in fashion illustration and digital design.
Beyond teaching, Mr. Mane is an accomplished painter whose artworks have been exhibited in India and internationally. He is passionate about mentoring students, fostering creativity, and encouraging critical thinking through experiential learning. He believes that teaching is a continuous process of learning and remains committed to developing innovative learning experiences that bridge art, design, technology, and industry practice.