Karthika Vijayan is an Assistant Professor in the Fashion & Lifestyle Accessories Department at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Kangra. A graduate of NIFT Gandhinagar, she specializes in accessory design, jewellery, wearable accessories, and design education. Her professional experience includes studio teaching, curriculum development, student mentoring, academic coordination, and facilitating hands-on design projects and workshops.
Her research interests include Indian crafts and jewellery traditions, indigenous knowledge systems, sustainable design, material exploration, craft documentation, and the relationship between traditional practices and contemporary design. She is interested in investigating craft practices through field-based research and exploring ways of integrating cultural contexts, materials, and making processes into contemporary design education. Her academic activities also include craft research and documentation, industry engagement, workshops, exhibitions, and student-led design projects.
Beyond teaching and research, Karthika is actively involved in institutional and student development activities. She supports experiential and practice-based learning and encourages students to explore materials, techniques, cultural narratives, and contextual approaches to design. Her personal and professional interests include Indian crafts, jewellery, sustainable and upcycled design, origami, crochet, and creative material experimentation. She also contributes to academic and institutional responsibilities through mentoring, coordination, and student engagement initiatives.