Dr. Kundlata Mishra

Associate Professor, Fashion Design (BDes)

Mumbai Campus

Dr. Kundlata Mishra

faculty-1
  • kundlata.mishra@nift.ac.in
  • Nodal Officer -Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
  • Link - Campus Academic Coordinator
LinkedIn Profile

Dr. Kundlata Mishra is an Associate Professor in the Department of Fashion Design at NIFT Mumbai, where she joined in 2006. With more than two decades of academic, research, and industry-linked experience, she specialises in performance clothing, functional and adaptive wear, uniform design, sustainability, craft design, and technical interventions in fashion. She holds a PhD in Protective Clothing, with her doctoral research focusing on Value Addition in Protective Clothing for Work Wear in Process Industries, which establishes a strong design framework for the performance clothing segment. Her expertise extends across fashion forecasting, functional apparel, industrial clothing, user-centric design, and emerging applications of AI in fashion. She brings together functionality, ergonomics, safety, aesthetics, material innovation, and design thinking in both academic and industry-oriented projects.

Dr. Mishra's research focuses on performance clothing, protective apparel, functional textiles, sustainability, craft, adaptive wear, and emerging technologies in fashion. She holds six design patents in performance workwear incorporating multifunctional finishes, reflecting the integration of material innovation, safety, comfort, and aesthetics. She has led and contributed to major uniform design projects undertaken by NIFT Mumbai for organisations including HPCL, Indian Oil Petrol Pumps, Indian Oil Aviation, MSRTC, NMMC Schools, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti Schools, Sankara Eye Hospital, and MGM Hospital. Her work addresses diverse requirements across industrial, institutional, healthcare, educational, and public-sector contexts. She has also contributed to craft-related projects with TDD Gujarat and MPHSVN Government and has undertaken Management Development Programmes for Raymond, Trent, and IIHT. Her research has been presented at national and international platforms including IFFTI, ICDHS, TBIS, FTC, and NIFT international conferences, with presentations in India, the UK, the Netherlands, and South Korea. Her scholarly contributions include publications in recognised national and international journals, book chapters in Springer publications, and work published in journals such as Colourage and the Asian Technical Textile Journal. Her recent research explores AI-led possibilities in fashion, alongside sustainability and performance apparel. In recognition of her contribution to technical textiles and performance apparel, she was felicitated at Bharat Tex 2025.

Beyond her research and professional practice, Dr. Mishra is actively engaged in fashion education, curriculum development, student mentoring, industry–academia collaboration, and knowledge exchange. She takes a particular interest in integrating innovation, functionality, sustainability, craft knowledge, and emerging technologies into fashion education and design practice. Her professional interests include the revival and contemporary application of Indian crafts, inclusive and adaptive design, socially responsible fashion, and the development of innovative design solutions for diverse users and contexts. Through her teaching, mentoring, research, and industry engagement, she contributes to strengthening the relationship between design education, technological advancement, cultural knowledge, and the evolving needs of the fashion industry.