Dr. Kaustav SenGupta, a renowned academician, Futurist, Trend analyst, Color psychologist and color forecaster, Youth marketing expert, writer, social worker and TEDx speaker is the Associate Professor of National Institute of Fashion Technology, India (www.nift.ac.in). He is currently the Director- Insights and Principal Investigator of VisioNxt, the first ever national project to design and execute the AI ML integrated indigenous forecasting services for Indian fashion and retail Industry under Govt. of India. The project was inaugurated by Honourable Minister of Textiles, Govt. of India and will help the post pandemic impacted retails and fashion industry of India to understand future direction.
He holds a Ph.D in Color psychology, Post-Graduation in Design with Degree in Science and Diploma in Fine Arts. He also has successfully completed certification on Artificial Intelligence and its basic implementations.
His more than 20 years of expertise and dynamic work pattern as ‘analysis machinery’ has helped many domestic and international brands to restructure themselves in Indian subcontinent.
He has delivered lectures and presented papers on trend and forecasting, fashion, color, design and youth Marketing at London College of Fashion (UAL), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing (IIITDM), Hindusthan University, Bannariamman Institute of Technology (BIT), Psg.Tech Institute, The National Institutes of Technology (NITs), CII, FICCI, TEDxYouth, CII IGBC, EPCH, Indian Express ThinkEdu conference etc.
Consultation in Trend Forecasting & Insights :
Dr. Kaustav was the insights expert of PYMCA, Ruby Pseudo, PLAN, MURMUR, Latimar, Mandala, WGSN, Titan Industries Paradox Panel, Asian Paints ColorsNext etc. He has been the insights panellist and representative of India for the ‘Youth Roundtable’ in London by Lenovo. He has consulted & shared insights for brands as Hyundai, Kia Motors, Zara (and other brands under the Inditex Group Spain), Mango, Tata, Knights & Walker-Dubai, Nike-USA, Lenovo- UK, Facebook, Skullcandy, British Council-UK, Vodafone, Samsung, Nokia, Coke, Facebook, Apple, Consumerfaces- Singapore, Divergent Insights- Singapore, Cscout-Japan, Chennai Silk-India, Future Lab UK, Vaya Life LLC USA, Wild Republic USA, Sony, Mountain Dew, NTT Data, Vodafone, Titan Co. Urban Company, Home Lane, Decathlon, Aditya Birla Fashion- Madura etc.
Dr. SenGupta is also the Lead Futurist for ‘ColorVision’, the first ever zonal and youth color forecast for India (sponsored by Nippon Paint India). In this project, he has implemented multiple copyright protected systems and tools (ie. color-image-emotion neuro-analysis model) to develop color forecast focusing on various traits of this pluralistic country. He is also conceptualizer for a unique color workshop called ‘Colorevolv’ (for Nippon India) which enables the architects and interior designers to understand the impact of color via creative expression and hands-on activities.
Consumer mindsets & product direction webinars:
Apart for numerous insights workshops taken by him for designers, architects, trend enthusiasts, startups, craftsmen, brands and retailers, Dr. SenGupta has conducted much appreciated consumer-mindsets and product direction webinars (to help the businesses in India during post pandemic slow-down) for brands and associations such as Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (Govt. of India), Indian Green Building Council, Architects Regional Council Asia, ARCASIA Committee of Architectural Education, NERES 1.0 summit, FLX Decathlon, Urban Company, Aditya Birla Fashion Retail Ltd., Nippon Paint Ltd., Home Lane and at Indian Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Show (the first ever virtual fair and seminar in India).
Association, mentoring & teaching:
Dr. SenGupta is the member of Board of Studies for PSG Tech College and University of Goa. He is the Expert Panel member as Think Tank for Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd - Govt. of Tamil Nadu (http://tnpoompuhar.org/thinktank) and Dakshinachitra Living Museum (Madras Craft Foundation).
He has taught more than 2000 students across campuses of NIFT in past 15 years. He has also mentored students from London College of Fashion, FIT, MIT, IIT Madras, PSG Tech College, NIT Trichy, TISS Mumbai etc. He is the subject expert external guide for the Ph.D scholars in the Department of Humanities and Social Science at IIT Madras. Dr. SenGupta has designed and developed the first ever socially impactful subject for NIFT in Foundation Program as ‘Self & Society’ (initially called as Introduction to Social Design) which was introduced in curriculum in 2019. Apart from this subject he is the conceptualizer and anchor of subject “Trend & Fashion Forecasting” in NIFT AD.
His initiative Ingene (www.ingne.blogspot.com) is the first ever pro-bono open source youth insights initiative in India (instituted in 2007) being referred by the youth trend researchers across the world.
He has been contributing the rich craft sector in India through design intervention, craft innovation and training the craftsmen. He has co-headed the initiative to register two handicrafts of Puducherry under Geographical Indication in the year 2008-9. Dr. SenGupta has co-headed an initiative under the Post Tsunami Livelihood Program ( conceptualised by IFAD and implemented by Govt of India) to impart training to 500 underprivileged women in coastal Taml Nadu into handicraft for self-reliance and livelihood.
In the year 2014 Dr. SenGupta co-founded (Honorary) InkLink Charitable Trust (Registered under 12AA and 80G under Govt. of India) with his wife Ms. Shaswati SenGupta (social reformer and sustainability expert) to provide free creative education and environment awareness to the underprivileged children, adolescents and women in crime affected post Tsunami settlement, Kannaginagar. InkLink has imparted workshops and mentored more than 1000 children and adolescents in the corporation schools at Tamil Nadu. The organization has also imparted plastic recycling skills to 300 women in Kannaginagar. The organization has collaborated with UNICEF India to impart awareness on COVID19 to the children and adolescents via creative comic books and games. This initiative is being adopted in Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and various other states and has also impacted children in Sri Lanka, Barma etc.
A simple internet search of his name will give further details about his dynamic journey in the field of fashion forecasting, color insights, youth marketing, design, social good and art.
