My diploma project was sponsored by Synergy Lifestyles Pvt. Ltd. (SLPL) for six months wherein I was to deal with three projects. These projects dealt with developing home furnishings for the export market.
SLPL was established in 1991 with the purpose of providing innovative textile home solutions for the export market. In the last 18 years, it has grown manifold in terms of experience, product range, number of customers, quality, and efficiency. The first part of my project was to develop a collection of cushions and kitchen products based on mood-boards sent by an American buyer for a buyer meeting to be held in the corporate office at Mumbai. The second was to develop a company collection to be displayed in the Collectione Fair which was to be held in Frankfurt. This collection was to include a range of cushions, kitchen products, table products, curtain panels, bedding and accessories. The third part of my project was to develop three prototypes of overnight bags as an in-house sampling project for SLPL.
My responsibilities as a designer working for SLPL gave me immense opportunity in terms of teamwork, understanding the market, sourcing material, helping with shoots, presentations, etc.
SLPL strives to produce designs that are high quality and at the same time priced at reasonably. Working under a budget and still meeting the demands of the buyer was an entirely new experience and this helped me a lot in understanding the workings of the market.
The amount of learning I’ve had in the last few months has increased my confidence and level of understanding of design as a problem solving process. It has made me confident enough to step out in the industry as a designer ready to face any challenge.
