Mr. Lokesh Kumar (Joined in 2022) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Textile Design at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Patna, and currently serves as the Link Campus Coordinator for the Textile Design Department as well as Resource Centre (RC) Incharge. An award-winning alumnus of NIFT Gandhinagar, he has over 16 years of professional and academic experience spanning the fashion industry, higher education, and craft research. He has worked with reputed Indian fashion brands such as CellDSGN 11.11, Norwest Industries, and JOVI.com. His areas of specialization include apparel design, surface embellishment, pattern making, natural dyeing, and craft-based design projects.

His research interests focus on craft-based design projects, pattern making, craft research, and value-added apparel as well as home and space product development. He has published research in the International Journal of Sustainability and Design Process. His notable 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, reflecting his engagement with sustainable and regionally rooted design initiatives. Beyond academics, he serves as a member of the Board of Studies (BoS) in Fashion Design at Patna Women’s College, Patna, Bihar. He actively contributes to student mentoring, curriculum development, and industry-academia engagement. His broader professional interests include craft research, community engagement, and promoting sustainable fashion practices, through which he continues to support the integration of traditional knowledge systems with contemporary design education.