Shape the future of design

Dr. Santosh Kumar Tarai is an Associate Professor in the Department of Fashion Management Studies at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He has more than twenty-five years of experience in management teaching, research, academic administration, and academic editing. His areas of teaching and academic specialisation include Research Methodology, Business Analytics, Export Merchandising, Strategic Management, and Organisational Behaviour.

Ms. Sobharani Lakra centers on handloom textiles, material culture, and the cultural semiotics of traditional Indian craft practices. She teaches undergraduate courses and leads research in craft-based textiles. She has co-authored several papers on the chromatic, economic, and environmental dimensions and co-authored two books on conventional textiles and fashion. She was honored with a certificate of appreciation for her contribution in reviving the languishing painting called the Jadupatia painting in 2013 by the Govt. of Jharkhand (Dept. of Industries).

"Soujanya Pani is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Fashion Design at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bhubaneswar. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Design (Fashion) and a Master’s degree in Fashion Management, both from NIFT. She specialises in fashion design, Indian textile and craft traditions, and craft-based design development.

"Shilpa Jena is an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bhubaneswar, associated with the Accessory Design discipline. She has professional and academic experience in architecture, design education, spatial and interior design, visual merchandising, accessory design, and design research. Her academic practice focuses on creative design thinking, material exploration, spatial experience, sustainability, emerging technologies, and industry-oriented learning.