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I worked with Industree, a company that promotes social entrepreneurship,on their new venture, the creation of their brand ‘Mother Earth. Industree’s goal is to promote natural fibres and sustain the livelihoods of traditional artisans. I was drawn to the social and environmental intent of their new brand ‘Mother Earth .
The objective of my project was to reinterpret the craft to develop products that would suit the contemporary urban market while creating benefits for weavers. I also had to keep in mind the affordability of products/fabrics and employ eco-friendly production processes.
The project had two phases - information collection and design development. The former involved an extensive background study on the handloom sector. Alongside, I went on a number of field trips to craft clusters in Karnataka.
Field trips and market studies helped me define the parameters within which I had to work.
The final collection was split into two components: yardage and Ilkal sarees. For the former, I developed a range of apparel fabrics using natural dyes, Khadi and cotton mill spun yarn.
The Ilkal sarees have been unable to gain much of a market share in the urban market due to the bright saturated colors used. The production constraints include the availability of raw materials, existing skill, technique and infrastructure. The final designs display slight modifications of the traditional design with a different use of color making the product appealing to the contemporary Indian market.
I am pleased that my design training was instrumental in creating new marketing avenues and generating sustainable employment for weavers’ livelihood. |
