Hand for Handmade - Our Project - Directcreate.com
Hand for Handmade

HFH

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Project
Hand for Handmade

HFH

Hand For Handmade

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.

Project
Brief

Key Points

HFH CRAFT DESIGN CHALLENGE
Background

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


What is the Craft Design Challenge and categories:

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? 

Who can Apply 

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. 

How to Apply

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.

Why should you apply?

* 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.

What is the Selection Process

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.

Project Leaders (HFH CDC):

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)

Our partners:

* DIRECT CREATE: Rajeev Lunkad and Sheela Lunkad (Founders, Direct Create)
* Indian Institute of Craft & Design: Dr. Toolika Gupta (Director, IICD)

HFH Craft Design Challenge Identity Design: Saurav Roy, Roy Studio
Contact

For any queries, get in touch with Professor Rishav Jain and Professor Sharmila Dua on ahfhcdc@gmail.com

List of Mentors:
Name Designation Organisation
Achira Basu Freelance Consultant Independent Professional
Aditi Aggarwal Brand Account Manager Paytm
Ahmed Ashraf Zaidi Professor Amity University
Akanksha Singh Entrepreneur Dolce Fiore ( Founder)
Akash Das Associate Director, School of Fashion Design ISDI, Parsons, Mumbai
Ambika A Magotra Associate Dean School of Creative Practice Pearl Academy
Anubha Goel Head Designer Vibe Fashions Apparel pvt.ltd
Anuja Kumar Associate Professor Indian Institute of Crafts and Design
Anurag Jain Founder Gramastha
Apoorva Deep Brand Consultant Sociowash
Apurva Shroff Freelance Designer Fabindia Overseas pvt. Ltd, Ritu Kumar (previous)
Ashima Gupta Founder and Creative Head Silai Studio
Ashish Dhaka Assistant Professor Pearl Academy
Atika Garhwal Designer Atika Garhwal
Bindeshwari Kumar General Manager Ultisources
Chandrashekhar Bheda Creative Head Spider Design
Chavi Goyal Assistant Professor NIFT
Chirashree Thakkar Architect- Interior Designer HUNAR, Thakkar Associates
Darpana Athale Founding Director Sarvasva Designs Pvt Ltd and In. Kaa
Darshika Sharma Head Designer Da Milano
Deepika Bijawat Sculptor / Art educator Nasr, Hyderabad
Devika Pathak Designer, Associate Professor & Course Leader Pearl Academy
Diksha Trika Brand Curator Sobo Living
Divya Goel Founder Daak
Divya Saluja Entrepreneur IV by Divya Snigdha
Firoz Khan Design Head Firoz Khan Designs
Gunjan Kumar Assistant Professor NIFT PATNA
Julie Kagti Designer cum entrepreneur Freelance
Kavita Badsra Creative Director Noorjehan Exports pvt.ltd 
Lalit Sengar Creative Director Sengar Co.
Lavina Baldota Custodian Baldota Foundation
Mangesh Afre Associate Professor Indian Institute of Crafts and Design
Mehendi Sharma Senior Lecturer Pearl Academy
Muralidhar Reddy Industrial Designer CMR University
Nagendra Chandra Owner at Naga Designs Naga Designs
Neha Dimri Assistant Professor Pearl Academy
Nidhi Gupta Guest faculty Nift Bangalore NIFT
Nikita Jain Designer Freelance
Parul Zaveri Founding Trustee Virasat Foundation
Radeesh Shetty Founder The Purple Turtles and Oorjaa
Rajesh Kumar Associate Professor Indian Institute of Crafts & Design
Rashi Jaipuriyar Creative Head Dagiz Pte Ltd. (Singapore)
Rashmi Singh Owner /Ideator Studio Moya
Rolika Shukla Freelance Design and Marketing Consultant Self Employed
Romi Revola Sculptor and Installation Artist Kruthi Art & Design Pvt Ltd
Sachi Chandel Tripathi Design Consultant Sachi's
Saloni Lohia Product Designer Bhartiya International
Saloni Tandon Managerial Position Indian Inc
Sanchita Dasgupta Design consultant NID R&D
Sanyukta Singh Proprietor & Creative head Tokree JAIPUR
Shilpi Shiva Collection Manager BATA India Limited
Shirin Kaur Creative Head Paper Story
Saumya Pande Designer; Associate Prof. & Course Leader Indian Institute of Art & Design
Swati Maskeri Academic Dean, Postgraduate Diploma program Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design & Technology
Sweta Kumari Consultant FDDI
Sweta Raj UX/UI Design Faculty & Accessory Designer ImaginXP
Tanushree Chatterjee Fashion designer turned Fine Art Artist Independent Professional
Usha Patel Dean Academic Indian Institute of Art and Design
Vasundhara Saluja Assistant Professor Sharda University
Vishpala Hundekari Director Ekibeki
Wajahat Rather Founder Raffughar
     

HFH Craft Design Challenge
Shortlisted Applicants – First Round

  1. Samanda Pyngrope – A Range of Cultural Figures
  2. Hitesh Suthar – Parkia Flower Gift
  3. Priyank Sagar – Indian Rosewood Work Table
  4. Nikhar Agarwal – Koko Bowl
  5. Rupali Vishwakarma – Sehat
  6. Anu Paul – Seperator
  7. Gokul Gopi – Seperating Shield
  8. Matrika Bhandari – Srijan and Local
  9. Muskan Agrawal – Edo Dyed Textiles and Garments
  10. Amy Varghese – Sanjhi Product Lamp
  11. Bhavi Shah – Envelope Opener in Koftgiri
  12. Garima Uppal – ECOUTURE
  13. Ankita Anand – Chik Lighting Fixtures
  14. Ritika Singh – Katha
  15. Anshika Jain – Aasna
  16. Gouri Mutha – Boho Macrame Mirror
  17. Andry Sah & Vanshika Agrawal – Tabletop Small Storage
  18. Saksham Panda – Stitched Stories
  19. Shruchi Jaiswal & Tushar Sonkar – Raja-Rani, Etikopakka Toya
  20. Sonam Agarwal & Akshaya Narayana – Sar-Phir-a
  21. Namisha Bajpai – Pinjrakari’ Laptop Table
  22. Sarah Siddique, Urvashi Jha, Vangala Pooja – Garments
  23. -
  24. Madhur Gandhi – Mother and Child
  25. Aditya Sethiya – Block Print Book Covers
  26. Shivam Soni & Subham Sathpathy – Lac Tashtari, Web-cam Screen
  27. Purna Garg – Scissor Partition and Convertible Table Divider
  28. Spandana Arroju – Sangam Collection
  29. Ritika Suryawanshi – Fun and Interactive Gifting Kits
  30. Kirti Jalan – STRONGER THAN YOU THINK
  31. Shrishti Mittal – Multicolor Wrapping Tote Bag
  32. Sweta Paul – Tana Bana
  33. Pooja Jain – The Woven Chant, The Chanting Shawl
  34. Vidushi Singhal – Toda Shirt
  35. Bidya Mishra – Wildflower
  36. Mahek Jindal – Throw Blanket
  37. Amara Subul – Blue Pottery Dish Set

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