Design Outsourcing
Outsourcing goes off on a new tangent with creativity, design and craft being the sought-after quality of Indians now. That we are a “cheap resource” is a tag we have moved on from, thanks to Bangladesh, China and Sri Lanka which are doing the more unexciting and customary outsourcing in the garment industry for rock bottom prices.Munch (no chocolate here) Design Workshop, a new-age Bangalore-based design outsourcing firm, has in the last one year of its existence been working with big name tags such as Levi’s Dockers and Workers, Westside, Phillip Van Heusen, John Players and the Taj Resorts and Hotels. With outsourcing of all work becoming popular, and the concept of design in any product gaining in importance, Munch has found a new space to wedge its foot in. It has been doing apparel and textile design, trend forecasting, accessory and package design and visual merchandising, in short designing for the companies everything from the button on the shirt to the way their stores in shopping malls look.
And having had so much experience, they’ve decided to open up another window to showcase their design experience — a prêt line called Moh that will be on sale at Grasshopper after August 6. Dubbed “earthy not ethnic, classy not classic”, Munch is promising that Moh will be a line with sophisticated quirks.
“India is no longer cheaper compared to China, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. So what India has to offer is design. India’s hope is value addition. We have the advantage over others of being an English-speaking people with design education and a tradition of craft in the country,” says Karunesh Vohra, a NIFTian who’s the Principal Designer and CEO of Munch (meaning platform). Apparently, China in the last four years has bought up 74 per cent of all apparel machinery in the world and has even set up garment industries in the desert!
European and American fashion houses have always outsourced the function of design, first within the country and later to countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore that were considered cheaper. “But outsourcing is nothing new,” insists Karunesh, turning around the concept of exports for us. “The British brought in lace from Paris, starting in the 17th Century, till they decided to make their own. Textiles and garments from the ancient civilisation of Mohenjo Daro were also outsourced.”
The outsourcing of design will become an industry soon in India, Karunesh predicts. “And mind you, the design hubs are not places like NIFT… they are in places such as Bhiwandi and Tiruppur.” They’ve also set up a resource centre, because otherwise, “a lot of designers spend a lot of time reinventing the same thing. So we wanted to document work”, says Karunesh. At present, the young group of designers at Munch are working on designing uniforms for employees of Taj’s beach resorts.
Munch can be contacted on +091-080-51316061/8.
No tags attached
Moh, which means fondness, is nothing different, claim its creators. It has no claim of being designer wear either. In fact, it’s averse to any kind of labelling, and is open to any interpretation. It doesn’t cater to any age group. What it is, according to Munch, is a prêt line that is all about comfort. “It’s lounge wear… more like Sunday brunch wear. It’s all about natural fabric and comfort. We are using things like terracotta for buttons,” says designer Pooja Vohra. They will be made in small batches of 150 pieces. Tops will range between Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 1,500. Bottoms will go from Rs. 1,200 to a couple of thousands. Karunesh says they are being “very Buddhist” in their attitude toward this line — no bending backward. “As a designer if you are constantly under commercial pressure, it’s very hard. We will get influenced by the market, but that won’t be the overriding factor.”
BHUMIKA K.
Reference Link:
The Hindu Online
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2005/07/26/stories/2005072600800100.htm
Tuesday, Jul 26, 2005
Posted in textile design