The trip so far........

My blog is starting a little late! We are already a week through our action packed industry tour and it has been non-stop. We have met so many interesting and talented people and everyone has been so incredibly welcoming and helpful. Nothing seams too much trouble and everything seems possible. We have met highly regarded designers, leading industry figures, manufacturers, crafts people, embroiderers, networked with our Indian counterparts from the creative entrepreneur awards, fallen in love with incredible jewels at Jaipur’s Gem Palace, shopped till we dropped at Dilli Haat craft market………and even talked our way into a Bollywood awards ceremony !!!! There is such an incredible fashion industry in India, and therefore so many people to meet, that what little free time we do have we spend in it style!!!

…..rewinding back to the beginning……….

Flying into New Delhi, jumping into the car and driving along their roads was like being thrown in at the deep end! I saw a car ad in the paper with a tag line saying ‘stop thinking, start driving’! That pretty much sums it up. The dust and smog in Delhi is intense and the atmosphere on the streets feels pretty uninspiring. However behind the scenes there are some amazingly talented people, incredible artisan workshops, a wealth of crafts and serene artists colonies that I would never have found by myself.

The first meeting we had was at the Institute of Apparel Management in Gurgaon just outside of New Delhi. After a look around the college and meeting a few students we met with Dr Darlie Koshy, a dynamic person who gave us a great overview of the industry to get us started and was very insightful. After each of we finalists had given a quick introduction about our individual work Dr Koshy gave us each some great advice and contacts to follow up.

Next stop was Dilli Haat an incredible craft market where the crafts people are able to sell their work directly to the public, cutting out the middle man and allowing them to make enough profit so that they can stay in their villages without the need to move to cities and find work. This also ensures the continuation of age old crafts and family traditions. Dhirendra Singh, another fashion entrepreneur, gave us a tour around the market, telling us about these crafts people, many of whom he works with directly. We could have shopped all day but the next meeting was upon us so back in the car and off to the Ministry of Textiles – Handlooms………………………