During a journey of over three decades as an academician, Vandana Bhandari has worked as an educator, author, and administrator with an active social engagement in the fashion and textile sector. She has held the position of Dean of Academics at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), and is currently a professor there.  Published in journals and magazines, she has authored and compiled several books on fashion and textiles including: Celebrating Dreams: Weddings in India (1998), Textiles and Crafts of India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur (1998), Textiles and Jewellery of India – Traditions in Rajasthan (2004); Jewelled Textiles: Gold and Silver embellished Cloth of India (2014).  Dr Bhandari is the Project Coordinator at NIFT of a national level project titled ‘USTTAD’, which has a collaborative approach for sustaining livelihoods and craft heritage and creates valuable connections between designers and master artisans.