BENDABLE POSEABLE
[Accessories for the individualistic and sentimental environmentalist]
ABSTRACT:
• Developing a range of accessories using textile waste in combination with other fabric, materials and found objects, thereby creating pathways for up-cycling and investing new value and stories into existing materials.
• Soft customization – This does not require the direct involvement of the user in the manufacturing process but allows the product to be manipulated by the user in the consumption stage.Developing modular designs which may be assembled in various ways by the user. Exploring adaptive customization
• Developing online forums in collaboration with existing organizations - where these prototypes may be viewed by their clientele - as viable platforms to market them.
THE CONTEXT:
Textile waste generated in contemporary society is immense. Apart from being one of the largest components of industrial waste, at a more personal level there are people who discard clothes and other textile based products daily. The attitude is that a textile product is meant to be short-lived – every few years one batch of jeans gives way to another, every time one re decorates the room the curtains and cushion covers are replaced and the life of an average t shirt or casual dress may just be a few months.
There are a number of reasons for this use and throw culture – and a number of questions that it raises. It is undoubtedly a reflection of the economic structure and consumerist climate we inhabit where the practice of material accumulation is carried out at an almost clinical level. Concepts like fashion trends, seasonal colours and latest styles mean that products enter the market with an in built date of obsoletion. If one buys a clutch bag because that is the “it bag of the year” it follows that the bag will be discarded once its status as “it bag” has been displaced and the trend conscious client will move on to objects that are more current in the market.
DESIGN SOLUTIONS: USE AND REDUCE WASTE
Having identified the concerns– the culture of use and throw and the subsequent accumulation of material waste – the question is what we, as designers, can do to address it:
• One answer is to use this constant stream of waste that is generated as raw material to be recycled and recompiled to create completely new products which then embark on a life cycle of their own.
• The other design solution is to devise ways in which the life span of the original object itself may be extended, by changing the nature of the relationship between consumer and product.
I propose that the most effective counter attack would be to combine these two approaches and work towards creating a range of products which is invested with the values of waste management and up-cycling; as well as incorporates the ideas of co-creation and soft customization to forge an active interaction between product and user.
CREATIVE CONCEPT:
“BENDABLE POSEABLE” a range of accessories that are partially created out of waste but more importantly engage with the customer in different ways like customization, adjustability and multi functionality.
Some key words defining the aesthetics of the collection are:
• Fun
• Flexible
• Dramatic
• Individual
• Changeable
BENDABLE POSEABLE seems to encapsulate all these words in a brand name which suggests flexibility and quirkiness at the same time as longevity and resilience.
Some key design values the collection should represent are:
• Sustainability
• Recycling and Upcycling
• Co – creation
• Interactivity
• Quality and craftsmanship
RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
• What are the factors that make an object desirable to the consumer?
• What are the different layers of meaning or value that make an object more integral to the user? What causes attachment?
• What kind of objects are less likely to lose their relevance and land up in the waste heap?
• How does one create products which transcend market trends and connect with the user at an emotional level?
• What are the different kinds of customization and how may they be implemented?
• What are the ways of incorporating various surface explorations into modular designs?
• What is experience design and how may it be incorporated in designing accessories?
WHY ACCESSORIES??
• There is more scope and acceptability for experiment with form and techniques while working with accessories. People are more likely to carry a highly individualistic/eccentric bag with a plain black dress rather than the other way round since the nature of the product makes it more exclusive and versatile.
• Since the canvas is small there is a lot of room for intricate design as well as sculptural work- both of which I enjoy as an artist.
• Since a lot of waste – textile or otherwise – come as scraps it makes better sense to utilize them on a limited canvas.
COLLABORATION: A LIMITED EDITION COLLECTION FOR A LIMITED EDITION PERIOD
I am working in collaboration with Weavers Studio (Kolkata) and Bai lou (Kolkata), using waste from their production units and other materials to create a collection that is independent of their existing stock of products in terms of look or design values- but has a shared ethos of sustainability, quality and craftsmanship.
As a result the collaboration would be a complementary process where the umbrella organization can dispose off its waste – yarn, fabric, scraps etc to me and I can use it to create products that have a completely different visual language. At the same time there remains an inherent material connection. The association could be mutually beneficial since the organization will provide raw material for me while at the same time improving their waste management. On the other hand by my association with an established organization I can learn many technical and practical skills while honing designs for a specific market.
They are agreeable to lending me a page in their respective websites where I may showcase my collection and design philosophy as a complementary extension to their brand, for a limited period of time, whereby I could reach out to their client base. We also discussed the possibility of having a short workshop and exhibition at the Weavers Studio, Centre for the Arts, at the end of my project tenure.
By working in collaboration with an organization I can ensure the continuity of the project if it proves successful, and ensure an initial audience in their established clientele. If my products do sell, then the profits can be split between the organization and me in appropriate terms.
MATERIALS AND RESOURCES:
• Research – books, websites, case studies of craft practices, case studies of other designers/firms
• Raw materials – tailoring scrap, various kinds of waste yarn, cut pieces, found objects, metal (steel) scrap, etc.
• Weavers, printers, tailors, embroiderers.
• Weavers Studio (Kolkata), Bai Lou (Kolkata) – raw materials, library, loom, studio space, web space.
DESIGN PROCESS:
Product development
• Scout for different kinds of waste - textile and otherwise
• Assemble the waste to assess possibilities
• Research other materials which are complementary to the waste material assembled
• Research traditional ways of textile recycling and waste management
• Research contemporary work in recycling, alternative textiles, accessory design, etc.
• Experiment with various textile techniques to integrate waste with the other material. This could include weaving, tailoring, patchwork and off-loom techniques.
• Research on re-contextualizing objects and changing values attached to them.
• Research on making products/accessories based on modular design (including mechanisms)
• Develop ideas and iterate for different surface treatments using techniques such as print, shibori or embroidery.
• Develop ten different product ideas based on this research and exploration.
• Prototyping
Communication
• Create a blog with regular updates regarding the conceptualization and process
• Create web pages for the showcasing of the collection in affiliated websites
• Create pages groups on facebook and other networking sites to publicize “BENDABLE POSEABLE”
DELIVERABLES
A cohesive range of wearable/interior accessories which reflects and communicates the ideas of reusing, upcycling, co creation and soft customization: bags, shoes, jewelry, scarves, hats, lamps and sculptural pieces.
• Surface explorations and swatches integrating waste and other materials
• 5 product prototypes based on modular design and adaptive customization
• 5 products based on re contextualizing found objects
• Branding and packaging.
• Fully updated blog, log book and documentation book.
PERSONAL GOALS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
• Further explore my interest in creating sculptural forms and 3D textiles.
• Explore the process of making multi-technique products and managing different people resources - put my textile skills to judicious use.
• Creating a brand – with a distinct ethos, identity and visual language.
• Exploring ways of communicating with the consumers – avenues for co-creation and marketing.
• Investigating different attitudes to waste and various ways of dealing with it.
• Exploring interesting and original ways of incorporating waste to create upscale products.
• Creating products that are relevant to the consumer in multiple ways.
• Improving my time management, organization, communication and networking skills.
• Playing my part in one of the biggest, most important, trends in contemporary design – waste management, recycling and upcycling.
• Trying to save the world just a little bit to balance out all the electromagnetic radiation my laptop generates!
