Welcome To NIF Thane
Faculty Members
Our Team
Expert Faculty at NIF Global Thane, Mumbai
Learn directly from experienced fashion designers who share industry insights, practical techniques, and real-world guidance to help students understand professional workflows, creativity, and career expectations in fashion design, interior design and design management
Mr. Vivek Gautam
Director
Mr. Vivek Gautam a former international-level badminton player is the Director of NIF-ANDHERI. He formed this institute in the year 2003 with a vision of providing good quality education to students who want to live their Mumbai dreams in the world of design. His main objective in this endeavor is to make NIF Thane the home of revolutionary designers, with the goal of metamorphizing the field of design.
Mrs. Mamta Gautam
Centre Head
Mrs. Mamta Gautam is the Centre Head of NIF Thane. Coming from a family of garment exporters, she developed a deep understanding of fabrics and fashion from an early age. With a keen eye for design and strong industry awareness, she guides students with practical insights and leadership. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics and is committed to nurturing creative talent while maintaining high academic standards at the institute.
Ms. Gunalaxmi Gaitonde
Head of the Department of Fashion
Ms. Gunalaxmi Gaitonde is the Head of the Department of Fashion at NIF Thane. An M.Sc graduate with diplomas in Textile Design and Fashion & Apparel Design from Sophia Polytechnic, along with a Master’s in Fashion Technology, she brings over 30 years of rich industry and academic experience. She has played a key role in curriculum development for MSBTE in Fashion and Textile Designing.
Mrs. Rama Srirangarajan
Senior Professor – Pattern Making and Garment Construction
Mrs. Rama Srirangarajan has a career spanning more than 25 years, during which she has been teaching Classic and Flat pattern making, Creative draping, and Clothing construction skills. She has a Post Graduate Diploma in Garment Manufacturing Technology. She is skilled in the Entrepreneur development program for High fashion garments, Machine embroidery, Traditional Indian wall art etc. Her focus is on imparting knowledge through innovative teaching methods and practices.
Mrs. Sunita Menon
Senior Professor Pattern Making and Garment Construction
Mrs. Sunita Menon is an M.Com gold medallist, and a holder of Diploma in Fashion Design from SNDT University. She has more than 15 years of teaching experience; with her forte being Pattern Making and Garment Construction. She has also taught Draping, Fashion Coordination, Indian Embroidery and History of World Costume. A perfectionist at heart, she ensures that her students are taught to create high quality garments with an attention to detail and creative thinking. “I believe in pushing students beyond their comfort zone, to unlock their untapped potential.”
Mrs. Archana Nagpal
Senior Faculty Fashion Design
“Believe in yourself is what I believe in…. Because it’s ME who knows what’s hidden in the deep resources of my mind, body and soul. Fashion to me is simplicity enhanced with rich fabrics and colours…. and that little something…. Your Identity!!!” Mrs. Archana Nagpal is a graduate in Fashion Design from the pioneer batch of NIFT – Mumbai. She has over 20 years of experience in various fields of fashion. Her career ranges from designing with domestic brands to export houses while also consulting and designing elaborate collections in women’s wear. She further takes great interest in preparing design students for the fashion industry; training students to build their fashion sketching portfolio.
MS. Mariam Mithiborwala
Senior Professor PMGC / Embroidery
Mrs. Mariam is a BCom graduate as well as a former second rank holder in Diploma in Dress Making and Design. With 20 years work experience. Her expertise lies in Pattern Making and Garment Construction. In addition to a focus in Indian embroidery and understanding the traditional culture of Indian handwork. She has a flair for getting students to accomplish arduous tasks through sheer passion, care and attention to detail. Thus instilling in students the ability to achieve the utmost of standards.
Ar. Vaswati Ganguly
Head of Department for Interior Designing.
She is an Architect from Mumbai University having over 30 years of Professional and Industrial Experience in a Variety of Architectural and Interior Project Management. Her passion lie in the field of Academics. She has over 15 years of Academic experience, mentoring design students with both National and International syllabus. Her areas of work include teaching Space Design, Styling, Developing programs, and translating programs for student learning, Mentoring Research students, being a Jury member, an Examiner and Moderator for University Exam Boards.
Ms.Hemangi Bali
Senior Faculty
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Interior Designing & History and trained in technical drafting. She has a career spanning over 20 years, using her experience to guide students in the Construction Studio, design studio, history of design and Architecture Class; With the objective to bring out the creative potential of the new generation. She lives by the motto “Good Art is Talent but a Good Design is a Skill.”
MR. Mehmood Khan
Senior Associate Faculty
Mr Khan currently teaches students of interior design theory focused subjects like Materials, services etc along with design subjects like furniture design. He is not only the owner of the firm Verve Architects & Designers, he is also a visiting faculty at L.S. Rajeha college of architecture, RachnaSansad , Saboo Siddiqui.
Mrs. Kinnari patel
Senior Faculty – Needle Craft/ Luxury Brand Management
Mrs. Kinnari holds a Master’s degree in Fashion Design along with a Diploma in Apparel Manufacture and Fashion Coordination from SNDT University. With over 15 years of teaching experience, she brings a strong passion for traditional crafts and artisan techniques into her classroom. She specialises in Pattern Making, Apparel Construction, Branding, Visual Merchandising, Retail Marketing, and Luxury Brand Management, guiding students in developing their own labels and shaping successful career paths in the fashion industry.
Mrs. Naina kumar
Design Mentor and Textile faculty.
Mrs. Naina kumar is a Textile designer; a graduate from Nottingham Trent University, with over 13 years of work experience as a designer, design mentor and faculty. She is an Associate Editor at Face Magazine. She is a slow fashion and sustainable design enthusiast. She believes in holistic education and has served the industry with innovative, creative and ethical design solutions and educational content.
Aarti Sasane
Faculty Fashion illustration and Design. Professional Educator with diverse experience in art and fashion.
Aarti is a dedicated, resourceful and goal-driven professional educator with a solid commitment to the academic growth and development of every student. With a background. in textile, she has specialised in printing Techniques along with Fashion Design. She specialises in basics of design, Colour theory, Fashion Illustration & technical drawing. A faculty with over 14 years of experience in teaching for Art & Fashion Institute, Mumbai and expertise in mix media creativity.
Deepit Chugh
Deepit Chugh a NIFT, New Delhi Graduate from the batch of 2011. He has worked with the likes of Triburg, Raymonds, and Aditya Birla Group,Pantaloons where he has had the opportunity to design for both menswear and womenswear. Deepit has also been a part of the internationally acclaimed World of Wearable Art show finalist 3 times and was placed third in the film and costume section for his Garment, The Theomorphic King, back in 2014. He’s the winner of Lakme Fashion Week Gennext Designer 2021. He owns the brand Line Outline
Ms. Khushbu Nanavati
Ms. Khushbu Nanavati is a BSc graduate in Fashion and Textile Technology from Nirmala Niketan, Mumbai, in addition to a further Advanced Diploma in Fashion and Textile design from Samira Institute of Design and Textiles, Mumbai. Ms. Khushbu has over 15 years of experience in the field of Fashion & Apparel. A thorough professional, she is a freelance Apparel & Accessory Designer, and has been training students for the past 12 Years. Her core teaching strengths lie in Illustration, Design Process, Computer-Aided Design, along with Accessory Design. She trains the students to make their ideas come alive through Hand & Digital Illustrations. " Guide the students where to look, but don't tell them what to see!”
Mr. Sagar kadrekar
Sagar kadrekar is a design enthusiast and passionate content creator. He is working as an educator in the field of fashion design with NIF Thane. With teaching he is also associated with pageants and fashion shows as show director and fashion choreographer. He is awarded with Karmaveer Chakra Award and presented Top 25 Content Creator all over India by Godrej. His designs were showcased at New York Fashion Week 2018 and have his fashion podcast on Gaana and Spotify. He was featured on Sonam Kapoors Instagram page for his androgynous style and Pinkvilla as an actor. He has styled various catalogue and Calendar shoots along with short films which were showcased at various film festivals.
Ms. Saba Mansoori
Ms. saba mansoori has completed her degree in Bachelor of Fashion Design from NIF Thane and is an enthusiastic individual with a distinctive vision with the ability to implement sketches to patterns. Having a curious nature she enjoys experimenting with unique concepts with fun while bringing imagination to life. She has interned with designer Nachiket Barve in exploring new Embroidery and surface Ornamentation. She teaches pattern-making to students.
Ms. Srishti Shukla
Pattern making
Ms. Srishti Shukla is a Pattern making faculty at NIF Thane. She is an alumni; B.Sc. in Fashion Design. She has three years of industry experience and has explored various fields within the fashion industry which includes working for both sustainable and luxury brands as a designer, enriching her with a unique perspective on different aspects of fashion. Srishti's goal is to use her experiences and knowledge to shape and inspire the next generation of designers, providing them with the insights into both sustainable practices and luxury design elements.
Mr. Ramesh Nanaware
Faculty Art and Media Techniquese
A Bachelor of fine Arts from JJ School of Applied Arts. Having over 20 yrs of experience in Fashion illustration. He specializes in Calligraphy and has a mastry over his brush, painting in oil and other art mediums.
Mr. Kushang Kavi
Faculty Computer Design
Mr. Kushang Kavi is a faculty in the Computers for Fashion & Interior Designdepartment with 20 year of experience. He has an Advanced Diploma in Graphic 2D, 3D & VFX, moreover he guides students through the creative and technical intricacies of Computer Aided Design. His work experiences include working as a faculty graphic head for 3 ½ years at St. Angelo’s Computer Pvt. Ltd. He was also working as a Senior Animator for the prestigious Birla Group of companies and Shloka InfoTech.
Ms. Jaishika Ratanpal
Faculty Textiles and fabric research
Ms. Jaishika Ratanpal has done her B.Com and Diploma in Textiles from VJTI and has over 17 years of teaching experience. She has been teaching Textiles and Fabric research with a core emphasis on weaving techniques, She also teaches History of World Costumes, History of Indian Costumes and Indian Embroidery. Her other strengths lie in weaving, Textile Designing and Tie & Dye.
Ar. Sunil Raosah Magdum
Principal & Design Cell Head
Ar. Sunil Magdum has a Double Post Graduate Degree, sharing his vast experience as an External Reviewer, Member of Staff Selection Panel. Along with Conducting Career Awareness Program and Workshops with our students. He reviews our students work and churns out a performance from our students so as to give to the design fraternity responsible, sensitive and sound Interior Designers. He refines and enhances the work of senior students through subjects like Critique, Communication and Interior Designing.
Ar. Rupal Shah
Director
She has a decade-long professional experience as an Architect and an Interior Designer across numerous residential and commercial projects, including architectural projects for Indian Navy, who felicitated her with a letter of appreciation for best design. She worked with the finest directors of Talati and Panthaky before starting her own ventures - FortuneArch (www.fortunearch.com) and VastuEnergetics LLP (www.vastuenergetics.com). She is also a member of PEATA, Indian Vedic Vastu Research federation & Council of Architects. She holds multi-disciplinary global certifications.
Amit Divekar
Amit Divekar is a Fashion designer, stylist, wardrobe consultant, teacher, exporter, Costume Designer and stylist. He has more than 20 years of experience in fashion, from designing pop icon Shakira’s ensemble in ‘Hips dont lie’ to styling Shankar Mahadevan.He has also embroidered gowns for couturier 'Marchesa' worn by Hollywood stars like Cate Blanchett and Renee Zellweger on the red carpet. Amit was nominated for a Filmfare Best Costume award for 'Vazandar' 2015. Amit won the Star Pravah Best Costume award for 'Pondicherry' 2022.
Richa Malhotra
Ar. Richa Malhotra is a graduate of LS Raheja School of Architecture and has further studied Heritage Architecture and Art History at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. As the owner of Richa Malhotra Design Studio LLP, she brings strong industry expertise into academics. She has designed homes for celebrity clients like Diljit Dosanjh and Kapil Sharma, and has also worked on commercial and pharmaceutical projects. She believes design is a meaningful communication between space and user, balancing functionality with experience.
Ar. Nikhil Khandekar
Mr. Nikhil Khandekar graduated from Shivaji University in 2015 and has been working as a professional Landscape and Interior Architect since 2016. With over eight years of teaching experience at various colleges and institutions, he brings practical industry knowledge into the classroom. He is dedicated to mentoring students and helping them develop strong design concepts with a professional approach.
Mrs. Farisa Zaki
Mrs. Farisa Zaki is an Educationist armed with remarkable penchant for Child Psychology. Farisa has in depth knowledge & understanding of Parent -Child relationships. This passion led her to a career of guiding & nurturing children towards right career for brighter future for over 20 years. Currently, working as Senior Academic and Admission Counsellor at NIF GLOBAL ANDHERI.
Diana Pinheiro
Mrs. Diana is an MBA postgraduate with over 23 years of experience in retail store operations, having worked with international brands like Marks & Spencer (Al Futtaim Ltd.) in the UAE. She brings strong leadership and operational expertise to her role at NIF Global. As a Senior Academic and Admission Counsellor, she is committed to guiding students and supporting them throughout their academic journey.
Ms. Alice Kakani
Director
Ms. Alice Kakani is a Social media manager at NIF Thane; an alumni of the same, with 3 years of industry experience. She blends creativity with strategic thinking to engage audiences effectively. To create the brands identity she stays updated with design trends and digital marketing solutions to optimize content performance and maintain brand’s consistency.
