Collaboration can be magical and at Direct Create we want to weave magic. All the people who appreciate and breathe art, Direct Create is a platform for them. It is everything that a hand-producer can be and more. It is a family of true art lovers that knits them together in one unit while helping them retain and expand their individuality.
The Craft and Handmade Collective is an informal group of over 500 (and growing) professional individuals and organisations passionate about the craft and handmade industry in India. It includes artisans, master craftsmen, producer organisations, designers, design studios, retailers, e-commerce platforms, NGO’s, craft institutes, design schools and colleges, media, and other stakeholders.
The HFH movement is working for the resurgence of the craft and handmade sector during COVID crisis and beyond. We believe that the sector can be energised through research, education, design intervention and market stimulus. We are looking at how consumer behavior and needs will be changed due to the COVID crisis. We are motivating designers to curate and create good quality and value for money products. We are going to run a campaign to sensitise the market to the crisis facing the sector and how buying craft and handmade products serves a dual purpose. Making craft a subject in education will enable the millenials and future generations to have an appreciation for craft. With this thought process, Hand for Handmade is proceeding with working groups around Education, Design Intervention, Market Campaigns and Repository.
The COVID 19 pandemic is one of the worst disasters to have hit the world. This pandemic is calamitous in its occurrence and its effect can be seen on all industries and endeavours, and it has been especially devastating to the handicrafts sector. The handicrafts sector is the second-largest employment sector in India. Lakhs of artisans and craftspeople are in distress. According to the Economic Times, the Indian Handicraft Industry is the hardest hit in the COVID-19 crisis. An estimate by EPCH pegs the impact on this sector to a figure of Rs. 10,000 crore. The loss of jobs, lack of orders, liquidity and the raw material has been catastrophic for this sector. This is an uncertain, disturbing and difficult time which can last for a few months or perhaps, even impact the years ahead.
Design and creativity are the key factors in determining a sustainable future for our handicrafts. The aim of this project is to understand the contemporary needs of different sections of the society and design products that satisfy those needs, using the skill and techniques of Indian handicrafts.
Our endeavour is to bring together on a single platform, the creativity of budding and young design professionals and offer them advice and mentoring to nurture their creative minds, for the benefit of all, including consumers and producers, which include craftspeople, and artisans who work in the craft sector. This will help to generate sustained livelihoods for the artisans and create a repertoire of designs for future
The HFH Craft Design Challenge is an opportunity for the young and budding designers to ideate and create new designs, with craft techniques of India. The needs have emerged in the following categories:
Home & Work from Home
Health & Hygiene
Gifting & Packaging
Travelling for work
The premise is how can we continue to sustain craftspeople and the sector as a whole and give them a source of continued income in this time and the foreseeable future? How do we ideate on products with crafts from our own region, look for craft clusters who can produce and even sell it at a later stage?
1. Design students studying in India or anywhere in the world.
2. Budding and young designers upto the age of 28 years.
Applications can be made either as individuals or a team of 2-3 students. Each applicant needs to be below the age of 28 years. They are allowed to seek guidance from mentors, but their mentors names will not appear as participants.
HFH Design challenge will also provide mentoring to the shortlisted entries who clear the initial round. The mentors will be from the field of design education or industry.
Step -1 Create your designer profile - platform offered by Direct Create.
Step -2 Add primary information and your skill sets. [ How to create your Studio and list your Designs ]
Step -3 Upload drawings/pictures of your products. Clearly mention the craft techniques used.
Step -5 You can keep adding and deleting information to your studio space on Direct Create.
Step -6 Make sure you share the Product entry via email by copying the Profile URL and the Product URL to: ahfhcdc@gmail.com
In your email, please ensure the following Information has been included:
Name:
Age:
Proposed Product Name:
Proposed Product Category:
Product URL
Studio URL:
Proof of identity and age (passport front and back or Aadhar card)
NOTE: It is mandatory to propose a product using a 'CRAFT TECHNIQUE'. Select a craft technique from your region, or from the already existing repository on the Direct Create listing. If the product is not designed using a craft technique or it's not clearly mentioned, the entry will be disqualified.
* Get mentored by industry stalwarts.
* Get hampers from India’s leading design organisations.
* Get a Certificate from Indian Institute of Crafts and Design (IICD) and an opportunity to incubate your design at the IICD Incubation Centre.
* Get a free account on DIRECT CREATE to set up a shop.
* Get a complimentary membership to Hand for Handmade, India’s biggest craft group.
* Get visibility and promotions on social media channels.
The accolade received would be your contribution to the craft sector, and have your designed product produced by the craftsperson for the market.
A panel of experts will select the winning entries based on the following criteria:
* Originality of concept and idea
* Clarity of material selection and choice of craft technique
* Relevance to the Craft Design Challenge categories
* Viability of market saleability, scalability, production and other parameters.
Rishav Jain ( A/Prof.- Program Chair (M.DESID); Research Expert, DICRC, CEPT University, Ahmedabad)
Dr. Sharmila Dua ( Ex Dean & Prof. MDes Department, NIFT)
Shibani Jain (Founder, HFH; Founder & CEO, Baaya)
* DIRECT CREATE: Rajeev Lunkad and Sheela Lunkad (Founders, Direct Create)
* Indian Institute of Craft & Design: Dr. Toolika Gupta (Director, IICD)
For any queries, get in touch with Professor Rishav Jain and Professor Sharmila Dua on ahfhcdc@gmail.com