“Fabindia was founded with the strong belief that there was a need for a vehicle to market the vast and diverse craft traditions of India and thereby help fulfill the need to provide and sustain rural employment.
Our endeavour is to provide customers with hand crafted products which help support and encourage good craftsmanship”
Thus spoke John Bissell who founded Fabindia in 1960 to market the diverse craft traditions of India. It started out as a company exporting home furnishings.
The first Fabindia retail store was opened in Greater Kailash, New Delhi fifteen years later. By the early eighties Fabindia was already known for garments made from hand woven and hand printed fabrics. The non-textile range was added in 2000, while organic foods, which formed a natural extension of Fabindia’s commitment to traditional techniques and skills was added in 2004, with personal care products following in 2006. Handcrafted jewelry was introduced in 2008.Today, with a pan-India presence; Fabindia is the largest private platform for products that derive from traditional crafts and knowledge. A large proportion of these are sourced from villages across India where the company works closely with the artisans, providing various inputs including design, quality control, access to finance and raw materials. Indigenous craft techniques are blended with contemporary designs to bring aesthetic and affordable products to fulfill the needs of today’s consumers. Fabindia’s endeavor is to bring customers a choice of products – and lifestyle – that offers an alternative to the mass-produced, while creating sustainable livelihoods in the rural sector. Even though Fabindia started as a Company with emphasis on Exports; it gradually attained a strong foothold in India becoming a niche player of choice
for the urban and semi-urban masses looking out for buying something with “Indian flavors”.
NEW VISION – A MISSION TO BE ACCOMPLISHED
By the late 90’s Fabindia had already become an Icon. In 1999, on John Bissell’s death, his son William formally took over the reins as Managing Director of Fabindia. History has shown that very few people have succeeded in demonstrating the skills to establish their own mark against larger than life images left by their parents or ancestors. The ongoing success and a complete re-structuring of Fabindia’s working model showing an unprecedented growth of Fabindia in the last decade has amply demonstrated the success of vision envisaged by William and his Team. Amongst other things, was the concept of COC introduced in the vision statement. Through the concept of COC, Fabindia links over 40,000 craft based rural producers to modern urban markets, thereby creating a base for skilled, sustainable rural employment, and preserving India's traditional handicrafts in the process. Fabindia promotes inclusive capitalism, through its unique COC (community owned companies) model. The COC model consists of companies, which act as value adding intermediaries, between rural producers and Fabindia. These are owned, as the name suggests, by the communities they operate from; a minimum 26% shareholding of these companies is that of craft persons. Commenting on the development, Managing Director of Fabindia, William Bissell (Bissell), said, "Weavers now have a sense of ownership of the company. They now understand when we tell them not to raise their labor cost, as the higher profits will come back to them as dividend as well as capital appreciation
THE NEED TO GET & GIVE
Fabindia’s unique working model provides an existing social business model to work with. The association with 40,000 artisans with diverse interests provides an ideal platform for a design student. Textiles in form of fabrics, made-ups, Home-furnishings etc. being Fabindia’s forte will be a boon to a Textile design student like me. Though still at a level of learning through experience; this stint will help me understand the space between production / supply and the market. To be working in close proximity with the weaving community will provide the hands-on experience and actually help in translating the paper knowledge to a practical knowledge. Being dubbed as Fabindia brand ambassador in Srishti; it would be a joy to work amongst people who created the very wardrobe, which earned me the title of Brand Ambassador!! It would be a great learning to be amongst artisans and craftsmen and understand their psyche on how they visualize and conceptualize the market trends despite the fact that most of them are so far removed from personally using the very same things they are perhaps proud to create!! I cannot miss to add about the learning advantages at Fabindia’s unique platform of back-to-back integration wherein all aspects right from concept to design to production to pre and post production, quality assurance to logistics to retail are covered within the framework of the platform that has got evolved over years. The icing on the cake is to work under the tutelage and guidance of Brand managers and Designers who perhaps rely upon a concept of intuition – the historic success of Fabindia has proved the concept to be the right one – the main advantage Fabindia has enjoyed is that its products have a distinctive and quintessential style which is easily identified by potential customers ranging from students to professionals, common man to politicians, media stars to other celebrities. It amply proves Fabindia’s philosophy: “A delighted Customer is our Best Brand Ambassador”. How else can one justify Fabindia’s belief on Customer retention over Customer acquisition strategy!! To achieve this, despite day-to-day challenges that must be faced to maintain consistency of products from a non-automated small-scale sector over a large geographical, is not a small feat.
I am happy to confess that in this brief stint, I have a lot to get and in return the quantum of giving back may be relatively smaller. However small; I am determined to go about in a focused manner and the effort and endeavour would be to come up with planned designing and putting the design to sample production keeping in mind the existing unique style and brand of Fabindia. I have already been assured guidance from the concerned Fabindia personnel who would help me cruise through the process already in place. It is my intention to adhere to the existing process and work within the framework of Fabindia so that my efforts are put to optimal use.
GOALS
Being a consumer of Fabindia for years, took me to various retail outlets. This has helped me develop an understanding of the trends and style existing in all their products. The continuing unique identity of the brand has been paramount to its success. Keeping that aspect in mind, I would get a chance to add value to the artisan’s perspective to the designs. Working with weavers who have already explored various forms a weave can take and produce; I would like to work with variants in motifs, placements and composition through the surfaces created -treating each of the surfaces as an individual canvas.
COC AMROHA – A COMPLETE STRUCTURE
The idea of working with a COC in Amroha came purely through the fascination I have for woven fabric. COC Amroha caters to 70% of the woven home linen for Fabindia – an area of interest for me. Even though a District Headquarter, Amroha has the added advantage that the required infrastructure is within a radius of 3 KM. The close proximity of weaving community from the central office Naugaon Artisans Handicrafts Ltd. would be a great advantage. The exploratory trip to Amroha was an eye-opener to the effort of COC Amroha and the community in bringing the structure to its present shape. Besides that, the willingness and helpful attitude of the weaver’s community was very encouraging. Working there will give me a chance to work in close proximity with the weavers and COC Amroha. Working in an environment which caters to almost in-house start to end designing and implementation, would give me a chance to go all out to explore the possibilities in creations of weave. I am sure it would give a chance to put my training so far to use and along with that learn about new avenues and horizons.
WHAT I PROPOSE
While deciding on my area of interest I was certain to work with weaves. I decided on looking at creating surfaces rather than 3- dimensional products. Looking back at my style of work and being in a design school for four years I realized I still saw my self as an artist. Looking at just surfaces through weaving was just another form of creating a painting, only difference being that the medium was multiple threads rather than paint.
I propose to work with the home products such as Bed linen, table linen, runners, curtains, floor covering (durries), which fit the criteria of Fabindia. Each output taken off a loom on its completion would be product by itself and therefore each of these surfaces would have an identity of their own. However, I would like to present them as a collection of displays of various home spaces, through the process of creating surfaces that would complement each other and would create a certain ambience.
METHODS
- Conversation and interaction with the suppliers- what was their mode of inspiration?
- Create canvases in paint- then let them take the form of a woven surface.
- Audio- visual documentation
- Combining design methodologies- The artisans and my own
- Understanding and archiving the already existing wealth of knowledge and skill amongst the community.
- Observation and Visual interpretation of the surrounding space
LEARNING GOALS
- Thorough learning and exploration of the possibilities of working with a technique like handloom and jacquard weaving.
- Exploring and understanding the possibilities with inputs and approvals from various levels.
- Effective use of design, layout and communication tools.
- Sharing knowledge and learning, both ways- for the artisan and myself.
- Demonstrating the ability to be able to work according to the requirements of the client.
- Understanding the weaver’s perspective in each of the surfaces created.
- Understanding the intensity and care required in creating each surface, keeping in mind the various levels of quality controls, the retail space and the consumer.
DELIVERABLES
I am looking at placing these products (bed and table linen, rugs, curtains, bath linen..Etc.) to create different kind of ambiences. These spaces would be various home spaces catering to different kind of people, just a few new designs in products of day-to-day use that would fit the criteria for someone ranging for a teenager to an old couple. I would first like to identify these groups, which would lead me to decide on the designs for the products (individual canvases) and then the spaces. The elements required in each of these spaces are yet to be thought of. Once I start my work at Amroha I would be able to gather, how long production would take and also of how many designs could go to production simultaneously.
Through the first half of my project I choose to take a series approach until the designs are approved I would have to go backward and forward many number of times. Once the designs are approved I plan to work with a parallel approach. I would be able to give specifications to the quantity of the products designed only by 20th July 2010. I still do propose to cover the designs of at least 3 home spaces with all the elements required to create each of them, keeping in mind that each of the products still have an individual identity of their own and still remain the canvases I would like to create.
PROPOSED TIMELINE
| DELIVERABLES | DEADLINES/ DATES |
| Market survey and research | 22nd June to 4th July, 2010 |
| Fabindia requirements- meeting PSC Fabindia. | 7th or 8th July, 2010 |
| Ideation | 10th to 17th July, 2010 |
| Concept development | 18th to 21st July, 2010 |
| Iterations | 22nd to 31st July, 2010 |
| Concept finalization | 1st to 5th August, 2010 |
| Prototyping and Exploration | 9th to 23rd August, 2010 |
| Feedback/ testing- QC | 23rd to 30th August, 2010 |
| Production | Depending on Suppliers and Fabindia and in the process work out some more designs depending on the response from Fabindia. Will happen through September. |
| Feedback/ testing | 1st week October, 2010 |
| Final documentation | 10th to 16th October, 2010 |
| Exhibition | 31st Oct to 12th November, 2010 |
- The proposal at this point is very open, I could be doing anything. I would be updating my blog after 13th July, after my meeting with Ms. Ameeta- PSC Head, Home Products. This will give me a clearer picture as to what exactly is expected and required.
- The other question was about the dilution of Handicraft, why did the dilution happen at the first place. And trying to find the answers through the project, to some of the questions in my head.
- Also how to go about a client based project, how to get some work done and that following the process should ideally help generate better ideas and solutions.
July 2010 to August 2010
Amroha- loom(ing) larger than life
| SR NO. | SUPPLIER | HOOKS | REPEAT SIZE | REED |
| 1. | MASTER TEXTILE | 300, 400 | 3 OR 4 INCHES | 86 |
| 2. | USHA TEXTILE | 300 | 3 INCHES | 72 |
| 3. | SHAQUIB TEXTILE | 400 | 4 INCHES | 86 OR 72 |
| 4. | AAFIA TEXTILE | 400 | 4 INCHES | 36, 86 OR 72 |
| 5. | PERFECT AND SALMAN HAND- LOOM | 400, 800 | 4 OR 8 INCHES | 86 OR 72 |
| 6. | MAULANA RIZWAN JI | 400 | 4 INCHES | 86 |
| 7. | VARSHA TEXTILE | 400 | 4 INCHES | 86 OR 72 |
| 8. | LEAQUAT TEXTILE | 400, 800 | 4 OR 8 INCHES | 36, 72 OR 86 |
| 9. | JULALLUDIN JI | 400 | 4 INCHES | 36, 72 OR 86 |
I would now start working out my designs. Most of them will work on a 4-inch repeat. The Jacquard is being focused on to begin with as the sampling and production would take longer. Each of the designs will first be drawn as outlines. These will then be photocopied and given to every supplier to be developed on paper, so that each design could further have iterations on the way it would look by experimenting with the kind of weaves filled in each of the designs.
Each of the kind of patterns has a different medium of inspiration. Each of these is explained in chart below followed by the mood boards.
Mind map- important words, associations and requirements.
Mood board: Geometric patterns- route maps, signage: top view- concrete.
Mood board: Islamic patterns- Architecture and detail.
After all this was done I knew the kind of patterns I would be working on. I started with the Islamic patterns on the 24th of July. I had a target of having at least 10 iterations for each of the patterns. The sketch outlines for all of them were completed on 31st July. Here are some of the outlines:
ITERATIONS: FLORALS
ITERATIONS: ISLAMIC PATTERNS
I arranged to have a meeting with all the 9 suppliers dealing with jacquards at the COC on 2ndAugust 2010. I photocopied all the designs and organized them into 9 files, one for every supplier. Each file contained all the 30 designs, their name and a list to indicate line rendering to depict each weave. They were then asked to select 3 out of the given 30 and play around with the kind of weaves they would use to develop the design. These files were asked to be returned on the 4th evening. This also helped in deciding which design was to be given to whom. These are some of the images the suppliers worked on.
The next few designs are the ones that were approved and have been taken forward:
This design has been taken forward to be used for bed linen. The weaves for upholstery and bed linen being essentially different, the iterations for developing this had to be taken up separately. It was important to understand the different densities of the fabric that was to be developed.
UPHOLSTERY: ISLAMIC1
UPHOLSTERY: ISLAMIC 2
UPHOLSTERY: GEOMETRIC1
BED LINEN: GEOMETRIC2
CURTAIN: GEOMETRIC3
To be able to get an idea of how each of the designs would look, I put each of the designs in multiple repeats. This helped me to visualize whether each of these would work as upholstery, bed linen or curtains. This exercise also helped giving it a more complete picture. These are some of them.
REPEAT: FLORAL1
REPEAT: FLORAL2
REPEAT: ISLAMIC 1
REPEAT: ISLAMIC2
REPEAT: GEOMETRIC1
REPEAT: GEOMETRIC2
REPEAT: GEOMETRIC3
REVIEW FEEDBACK
- Using mood- boards in a way that it could actually help deriving the designs. the mood-boards were too flat compared to the textures I wanted to be able to create. I will be reworking the mood- boards and putting them on the blog. I would like to get a second feedback on them, as that would help me with the textures and the colorsI could develop in each of the chosen outlines.
- using research by involving the clients perspective. looking at both the people who use fabindia products and the ones who don't and why?? Their respose to fabindi products.
- talking to an interior and furniture designer and understanding the suitable furniture for the display.
- bringing in some of the older rejected samples and fabrics that did not do well, to draw a comparison as to why it did not work? and what is required?
August 2010 to September 2010
The samples were take offs from the mood boards, but they were essentially working towards the requirements of the clients. Each of the designs worked along the technical possibilities through jacquard weaving. I looked into quite a few existing designs in Fabindia before coming up with these. There were constant doubts about these getting approved as none of them worked with the existing style. That at the end of all did somewhat work in my favor. these are some of the existing samples in Fabindia:
The florals were stylized forms of flowers like Lilies, chrysanthemums, lotus, geraniums, etc. The existing style in fabindia was isolated flowers being used as booti's, with a traditional feel to it. I worked on the complete opposite. Each of the designs worked on a jal repeat pattern, with a westernized and contemporary feel to it.
The Islamic patterns were taken from the common outlines visible in their architecture. It was something that was visible in and around Amroha as well. I concentrated on the forms of the doorways, windows, jali's and the mosque's in and around the village where the suppliers lived. Their homes had very interesting forms being used as ventilators. These outlines were combined with florals which were essentially used as details carved in the architecture.
The geometric patterns were taken from route maps and google maps( birds eye view of concrete land). I tried incorporating the use of horizontal and vertical lines together as a design element. Geometric patterns for me acted as a way of bringing in subtleness to a space where florals and islamic patterns were being used. It was the element that would help break the monotony in the space.
Even though the mood boards did not help much initially but they were of a great help in the process of developing these designs. The exercise of making these moodboard came of use while deciding the kind of textures I wanted to create within each of these designs. Considering I had never worked with a Jacquard before, I had to do enough research to understand what kind of weaves can work simultaneously. Like the most obvious weaves being Plain weave and Satene, Plain weave and Twill, etc. This was important to understand as each of the weaves has a different pick per inch. This criteria narrowed down various ways of experimenting within Jacquard Fabrics. This clause made it impossible to experiment with wefts of two very different thread counts. The existing designs usually used only one kind of weave in one design or maximum two. So I decided on experimenting with various weaves simultaneously, while keeping the reed and the weft the same. I worked with allotting a different weave in each area within one design which helped bringing some clarity. This way of developing the designs also helped in giving emphasis to some area and blurring out the rest. These are the images that give out he specifications of each of the designs and the way they were handed over for development:
While these designs were in the process of sampling- getting the graph made, the chain for jacquards being punched, warping, setting up the loom, etc. I worked on designs for the durries, table linen and runners. Most of the durries, table linen and runners were to be implemented on a pit loom which limited the designs to geometrics. I kept the same idea of using map routes and concrete display as my inspiration. The idea was to be abte to use lines, squares and rectangles most effectively. I used various sizes, horizontals, multiples and Asymmetry as the key design elements to create an interest. while the layout and the composition of the canvas played an important role in each of the designs. Though the designs worked as an asymmetric pattern I had to be conscious about how many frames each of the designs would take up while still being able to implement it on a pit loom. By now I had also talked to one of the suppliers about a possible texture that could be created on a pit loom and asked him to develop it with variations using permutations and combinations of the paddles.
DURRIES LAYOUTS: ITERATIONS
DURRIES DESIGNS: APPROVED
TABLE LINENS LAYOUTS: ITERATIONS
TABLE LINENS LAYOUTS: APPROVED
These are some of the samples done as of now:
Put up your proposal and your review notes.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI am from Amroha..
I am amazed after reading ths post... even i was't knowing my hometown contributes so much to the textile industry.
Ur designs are really good.
If u visit Amroha again let me knw... would like to meet u smday. :-)