Mr. Thomas Samuel

Assistant Professor, Leather Design (BDes)

Chennai Campus

Mr. Thomas Samuel

faculty-1
  • thomas.samuel@nift.ac.in
  • Campus Coordinator (CC)
LinkedIn Profile

Thomas Samuel is currently an assistant professor at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Chennai, with more than 20 years of experience in teaching and academic practice. The faculty member holds a four-year professional degree (BFA/BSc) in Design (Textile), an MBA in Apparel Merchandising, and a postgraduate qualification in Fine Arts (Painting), and is currently pursuing a PhD in Management. The faculty member’s areas of teaching and expertise include visual arts and design, with a focus on visualisation and representation, elements of design, material explorations, environment studies, Photoshop, CorelDRAW, and textile designing. The teaching practice encompasses drawing and painting using graphite, colour pencils, watercolour, acrylic, dry-oil pastels, crayons, and oil paints, along with explorations in metal, wood, yarn, fabric, paper, acrylic, and plaster of Paris.

The faculty member has made significant contributions to design practice through academic, institutional, and industry-orientated projects. The faculty member designed the New Indian Standard Mark for registration under the Self-Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) for electronic products for the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The design was published in The Gazette of India, and the achievement earned a cash award of ₹100,000. The faculty member also led NIFT Foundation Programme students in a 12-hour wall-painting initiative at Chennai Central Railway Station under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The 48 × 2 metre wall featured paintings portraying the culture and life of Chennai and received appreciation from the Central and State Governments, the media, and the public. In another significant project, the faculty member developed designs for the upliftment of the Kudanthai Silk Weavers Co-operative Society Ltd., focusing on export-orientated silk fabric designs for furnishing and apparel. The project contributed to revenue generation of approximately ₹7.5 lakh for the institution.

The faculty member has a strong interest in experiential and practice-based design education and continues to engage students through hands-on exploration of visual arts, materials, crafts, and textile design. Field-based learning, community-orientated design projects, and collaborative creative activities form an important part of the faculty member’s teaching approach. The faculty member is particularly interested in connecting traditional crafts and cultural practices with contemporary design education and applications, while encouraging students to explore diverse materials, techniques, and visual expressions. Through teaching, mentoring, design practice, and community engagement, the faculty member contributes to developing creative, socially aware, and industry-orientated design professionals.