Keywords Silk yarn and fibre Linen products International fair Exploratory |
My diploma project was sponsored by Vrijesh Corporation, a company set up by Mr. C .L. Agarwal, with the objective of trading in silk fibres and yarns. The company has evolved into a government-recognized export house and is vertically integrated in silk and linen.
I handled various projects during my tenure at the company. I had to design a range of home-linen products for the Heimtextil 2011 fair in Germany in January. An exploratory approach was adopted in terms of concept-generation, weaves, textures, and patterns. I got a chance to interact with a lot of qualified people who were part of the team. It was important for us to work together to produce effective designs that work for the company, while giving them a personal touch. The constant feedback from the director and the experienced team helped improve my confidence levels and I worked towards the refinement of the designs.
One of the main constraints was the cost. While the products were aimed at the high-end market, the prices had to be kept as reasonable as possible so that they would cater to a mass of people instead of the select few.
By working with weavers, I learnt a lot in terms of technicality, design and production process. The competitive environment at Vrijesh enabled me to take charge of various phases of design and development, sampling and cost. The interaction with different people greatly broadened my perspective. |