Presentation to Sri Lanka Design Festival 2012 HANDMADE for SUSTAINABLE FASHION FUTURES Planet People Profit Dr. Darlie Koshy MBA, Ph.D. (IIT, Delhi) Director General & CEO Institute of Apparel Management (IAM) & Apparel Training & Design Centre (ATDC) Former Director, National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad (2000-2009) www.darliekoshy.com
Serendib: Serendipity! The Pearl of the Indian Ocean Arabs referred to it as Serendib (the origin of the word "serendipity"). I can see it to this day, that radiant panorama, that wilderness of rich color, that incomparable dissolvingview of harmonious tints, and lithe half-covered forms, and beautiful brown faces, and gracious and graceful gestures and attitudes and movements, free unstudied, barren of stiffness and restraint. -Mark Twain, Following the Equator, 1990 The Ramayana attributes the building of the bridge to Rama in verse 2-22-76, naming it as Setubandhanam, a name that persists until today. -source: wikipedia
Design Connects Nature, Culture, Future Handicrafts Innovations of Yesterday & foundation for future Crafts define Cultural Moorings & Economic Sustenance Crafts use wide range of inherent skills & local technologies Immense wealth of Tacit Knowledge Kutch Embroidery, India Biralu- Lace Craft, Sri Lanka Crafts reflect Creativity Quest for self-expression Enduring beauty Crafts form the core of a culture.
Crafts as Foundation of Designing for People Crafts should become part of essential life skills to have a generation of Hands On, Minds On people. Crafts provide differential advantage to design by providing deeper sense and sensitivity through encoded values and aesthetics. Crafts provide a connection to the heart and emotions - feelings. Crafts being tangible provide a sense of continuity and roots in a rapidly dematerializing world thus bridging the physical with the digital. Modern Adaptation of Indian Charpoy in Stainless steel - cross over from functional design to art- by Alex Davis
Future is in Sustainable Fashions Creative heritage and manufacturing prowess can raise their level to achieve sustainable competitiveness through proactive policies and leadership. It is necessary to encompass new approaches while leveraging core strengths to achieve a higher level of performance but with principles embedded in sustainable and responsible competitiveness which can usher in premium positon for Sustainable Fashions. Responsible Competitiveness
Going Glocal Rahul Mishra, 2012 A RAY OF LIGHT A conscious & powerful effort of an Indian Fashion Designer Rahul Mishra in creating awareness and bringing the Kerala s traditional Balarampuram sarees & fabrics to the center stage of fashion to empower weavers of rural Kerala. Courtesy-Rahul Mishra, Indian Fashion Designer
GUCCI for Gujarati Patola PETER PILOTTO for Orissa Ikat SALVATORE FERRAGAMO for Benarasi Brocade Vogue India, Oct-2012 Crafts interpret emotions & help to create new aesthetics for the contemporary customer Crafts form the best argument for Sustainability
Crafts as Fountainhead of design innovations Home Fashions Mumbai s luxury linen store fuses Indian crafts with international sensibilities. The owls made famous from Harry Potter and various kind of birds and other species are Hand-made in India through appliqué on the cushions etc.
New Idiom of Luxury BURBERRY for Maheshwari Silk -Vogue, Project Renaissance On many fronts, the Creative Class Life Style comes down to a passionate quest for Experience * And the kinds of experiences they crave reflect and reinforce their identities as Creative People Richard Florida The Rise of the Creative Class Vogue India, Oct-2012 Custom-made Lamborghini *Crafts provide unique experiences & connect to vivid memories
DNA for Design: Geographical Indications in Crafts In India the Patola sarees from Patan, Gujarat or Pochampally from Andhra Pradesh, or locks from Aligarh Uttar Pradesh or knives of Anjar Gujarat are excellent examples of craft with distinct uniqueness or traditional reputation based upon the production characteristics peculiar to the geographical locations. Bidriware (Karnataka) Chanderi Saree (Madhya Pradesh) Aranmula Kannadi (Kerala) Channapatna toys & dolls (Karnataka) Protecting Local Culture & Design through Geographical Indications
IPR in the Creative Economy Most creations are Intangible or have considerable intangible elements The innovators / designers who create the new tools and techniques need to protect their IPR IPR helps to safeguard investments in product development, process & marketing Leading fashion designer Ritu Kumar sued a defendant for commercially distributing her fabric designs like Kulah, Ambi Bandhini and Sangmarmar. Imagination, Innovation, Ideas, Knowledge, Skills are tenets of the economy Protect to Profit
Design for Everyone, Everywhere Blue Pottery Craft, Jaipur Wrought Iron Craft, Bastar, MP Design is about connecting culture to future and business to customer
Crafts and Sustainability Planet People Profit
Evolving Crafts for Sustainable Fashion Futures Connecting Culture to emotions Brands for fashion, lifestyle & luxury Sustaining Competitiveness
As for the future, your task is not to foresee but to enable it Antoine de Saint Thank You Dr. Darlie Koshy DG & CEO-IAM & ATDC Website: www.darliekoshy.com Email: darlie.koshy@gmail.com