Proposal for Degree Project
Sponsor
Upasana Design Studio (Company Name)
Auroshilpam (Company Address)
Auroville (Tamil Nadu)
Project Duration
22 weeks
Student Name
Specialization
Woxsen University
Batch 20XX
About Upasana (About Company/Sponsorer)
Upasana at Auroville, in southern part of India is a design studio that has a vision which advocates design for
social responsibility.
Upasana has conceived many social projects that re ect the inner aspirations of the crasman and the ideas of
co- creation in terms of design and philanthropic endeavours.
Design for social responsibility has been a recurring theme in design for many years. Upasana inspires to
abandon 'design for pro t' and is in favour of a more compassionate approach inspired by the Shri
Aurobindo's teachings.
In terms of design, Upasana strives to sustain languishing textile practices in India, propagate the Indian
crasmanship and provide the platform to its artisans to explore their creative expressions.
Upasana’s creations always pronounce a gaatha, an innate story telling of the roots of the cra, focusing on its
origin and evolvement to an integral art form.
Projects at Upasana (Projects at Company/Sponsorer)
Tsunamika is a doll handmade by the sherwomen in coastal villages close to Auroville, Tamil Nadu, post
the Tsunami in 2004. It is made out of industrial waste (fabric. She was distributed as a gi all over the
world and became a symbol of hope and perseverance. is project entails livelihood opportunities for
about 200 women.
Small Steps is an initiative to promote a responsible alternative practice to discard plastic shopping bags,
poly ethylene bags. e bags are compact that discourage use of plastic bags.
Varanasi Weavers was taken up as a challenge for social development to revive the languishing cra
practices as well as livelihood opportunities for the weavers and their families and encourage self-reliance.
Kapas is a sustainable business collaborative striving to protect and promote the fragile cotton
communities of Tamil Nadu. Kapas leverages partnerships with several local organizations to: choose only
organic and indigenous crops nurtured by all-natural fertilizers; employ a fair business model that
improves the livelihood of farmers and weavers; and use natural dyes to create top-quality basics with a
higher level of consciousness.
Paruthi is a project for making the country conscious about organic cotton and organic clothing.
Tranquebar is a project striving to restore beauty and charm to a quiet coastal town and its people.
Upasana hopes to transform Tranquebar into a cultural tourism destination by highlighting its beautiful
heritage. rough training, they are engaging the local population, enhancing their skills & crasmanship
(the prevalent medium of their livelihood, in order to market their very own creations.
Janaki “House of conscious Living”, a lifestyle store that envisions sustainable living amongst the
community of consumers, producers and designers.
Intent
is design project is aimed at demonstration of independent client service with application and implementation
capabilities of the design student.
e objective, is to design and develop two women’s wear ranges that re ect the luxury product assortment in terms
of “Indo- fusion silhouettes” i.e. combination of western and Indian styles. e crasmanship comes from the land
of Benaras, where in Jamdani as a technique is adopted to explore original motif compositions and placements.
e above shall be achieved by fabric development with the Benaras's weaving community.
Project Brief
Objective
To develop two ranges of women’s wear inclusive of dress, tops and skirts in pure silk and cotton-silk, for luxury
wear brand, Devyani at Upasana.
Methodology
- A detailed market research (via forecasts, exhibitions, websites, books, journals) to understand current market
scenario and preferences, in order to identify the existing trends.
- Concept generation: conception of theme/colour/ mood and story boards in conjunction with the brand ideology
and trends.
- Client brief: e target audience would be women, conscious of their surroundings and environment. e client
belongs to an upper middle class society with various creative pursuits. e client is open-minded yet has
traditional values. ey value the handloom skills and longevity of garments, for which, are willing to pay a good
amount.
-Design developments will be in accordance with the design sensibilities and language of the studio.
-Ideations, illustrations and silhouette development.
-e collection would be ranging from semi-formal / formal to evening wear.
-Toile development, pattern explorations and nal product sampling will take place in the studio.
- Involvement with the retail and marketing strategies for the same products and also assist with design packaging
for the products designed.
Fabrics
Pure silk and cotton blend. Part of the range shall be developed using already available / in-house textile and some
fabrics shall be developed according to the story of the collection.
Season
Spring/Summer 2013-2014 Sizes Sizes start from XS-XL (females)
Proposed
Registration First guide visit Mid-review Second guide visit Final review Third guide visit
February March April May June July
Market Research & trends 3 weeks 20/02/2013 - 15/03/2013
Analysis 1 week 16/03/2013 - 21/03/2013
Concept generation 3 weeks 22/03/2013 - 14/04/2013
- Design direction
- ideations
- color
- silhouettes
- skills & techniques
- illustrations
Fabric development 4 weeks 15/04/2013 - 12/05/2013
- dyeing
- sourcing
Prototyping 2 weeks 13/05/2013 - 28/05/2013
- pattern making
- toile development
Final ensembles 6 weeks 28/05/2013 - 7/07/2013
- stitching
- sampling
- nishing techniques
- technical specication sheet
Product shoot & Documentation 3 weeks 8/07/2013 - 30/07/2013
Project Deliverables
- Trend forecast and consumer study documentation
- Concept development
- fabric development
- Silhouette explorations
- Detailed illustrations
-Technical speci cation sheets
- Minimum 25-30 pieces of nal nished ensembles
- product shoot and Documentation
Budget
Registration Fee: Rs 5,000 to be paid by student
Travel expenses: borne by the student
Accommodation and Food expenses: Paid by the Sponsor as per actual.
Upasana offers stay at Mitra hostel, meals at Solar Kitchen and a cycle for conveyance.
Documentation Cost: Rs. 5,000 or as per actual.
Stationary cost: To be paid by sponsor as per actual.
Textile and tailoring / making charges: To be paid by sponsor as per actual.
Expected learning outcome
From the very inception of my career as a designer, I have been interacting and associating myself very
closely with the artisans of languishing cras in Gujarat, India.
Ever since I set sight on the Tsunamika doll under the Upasana umbrella, the resonance of the stories that
they hold, struck a chord with me. Since then she has been on my inspiration board and stimulates me to go
on, along with other little things. Upasana is appreciative of work that re ects individuality, co- creation
and social responsibility. I look forward to the exposure that entails commitment to cra practice and
involvement in exchange of knowledge in order to realize conservation of Indian textile practices.
