Reflective Journal >>

RESEARCH QUESTION: 

How can the Fashion and Film industry develop sustainable global relationships via bridge development between Indian Artisans, to work with or without ethical intermediaries? 

WHAT: The purpose of this research is to examine the issues surrounding wages, a lack of recognition, and copying of the designs of the artisans in the handicraft industry. Exploitation in this sector is caused by an uneven distribution of wage data and a lack of opportunities.

I have interacted with the various artisans and here are the details of their opinion about the challenges they’ve faced: https://vanshajkumar.myblog.arts.ac.uk/direct-from-artisans/

WHY: A new system, policy amendment, and new channels are needed to access & to ensure maximum expansion of the handicraft industry to raise the demand, as well as removing ‘unnecessary intermediaries’ from the system. 

While discussing this issue with the experts, they have mentioned that a system or a directory would be beneficial where they can access the artisans’ information directly. They have also shared various important aspects about this issue – https://vanshajkumar.myblog.arts.ac.uk/experts/

Expert Talks

The sustainable way forward is to have a broader perspective of capitalism and the need for speed that it brings with it. Direct collaboration with artisans depends on the room these industries give for handwork, not made by corporations for the value that it brings forth , not only as growth and preservation of our very skilled artisans and their age-old crafts but for a society as a whole. I think if a system was developed wherein the craft industries and artisans were listed in directories – film and fashion people could reach to them more directly .

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Through working directly with the artisans, the results will perhaps be more authentic, the costumes will look truer & reflect real lives.​

 This will not only benefit films / fashion sector, but it will also benefit the Crafts & Art sector which will see an additional source of revenue. ​

The intervention of designers / stylists will also help keep craftsmanship relevant to today and help it engage with new audiences.

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Designers are already working with artisans as per their requirements. But only selected artisans can make profits. The artisans working currently can vice versa approach the designers. But there is a huge scope to connect with the new artisans.​

There is very little documentation or gallery of the artisans. This can be digitized so that it becomes more easily accessible. ​

 

“With regards to the fashion industry, yes absolutely! Direct collaboration with Artisans will bring a change if there is consistent and larger associations with bigger labels/ Brands. For this to happen and to ensure a fair trade is in place, there needs to be sustainable practices which need to be followed. For change of this scale realistically, it seems to be a long-drawn process, which may or may not be implemented by many.​

“Indian government has taken many initiatives to preserve the rich traditional craft. For every specific art, form the government has created a craft cluster wherein artisans are given proper training on skills improvement, and the raw material is as well provided at subsidized rates. But many artisans due to lack of awareness in India are unable to take benefit from government schemes. ​

Indian film & fashion industry are one of the versatile and booming industry in these days. We know Indian art has its hold from root history since the era of Indus civilization or maybe before.  This artistry has been passed from generation to generation since then. ​

As proposed, a direct approach of these new industries to such traditional arts will help in substantial development and progress in the artistry. The final product must pass on through various levels of middleman and brokerage which lead to cost-hike and hence the industrial knock-offs waives away the consumers’ approach towards these arts. 

“Yes, keeping in mind the current circumstances caused due to the Global pandemic, going vocal for local is certainly the new trend. Direct collaboration with the artisans and craftsmen will definitely bring about a large change to the Indian film and fashion industry and will be revolutionary.”​

“Many artisans are a part of self-help groups, getting connected with such groups directly is the best way to source from the artisans which also help is in eliminating the intermediaries.”​

Cluster programs / visits can give professionals a better & clear outlook of Art across the country. ​

The incorporation of policy and education training modules in these clusters can be a great initiative to start this process.​

This is a debatable topic as often the fashion/film industry has the resources to influence the pricing and credit that these artisans eventually get although few small fashion houses do give them the requisite credit and exposure thus bringing various unknown art forms to the limelight.
It is important that these artisans are made aware of how important their work is and the value that it holds in modern India. This can only happen by educating them and ensuring through various private and public interventions that their interest is taken care of.

HOW: As a new requirement of the industry and initiative towards connecting the routes directly to the Film / Fashion industry Is my main aim of the research. A part of this research focuses on establishing hand-made art accessible to the modern world. Craftspeople need support in education, awareness, and skill upliftment to make newer, modern products by developing this community. 

During my survey , I discussed the possibilities and requirements of this bridge as a system to connect Artisans with the Industry experts. They talked about the pros and cons of this initiative, where a few experts shared their positive feedback and few have mentioned the drawbacks of working directly with the artisans without intermediaries. Undoubtedly , Intermediaries makes the process smooth, but unnecessary middlemen are a threat to labor wages and design copy which might eventually harm artisans growth. Here are the views of experts about my Question : https://vanshajkumar.myblog.arts.ac.uk/interviews/

After finding out the themes through these interviews , I further have proceeded further with the evaluation of these themes , and during this phase I developed a Bridge Prototype to help them understand the infrastructure of this Bridge. https://artisans-connect.com/

During our Seminar we discussed about the features of this bridge , where various potential stakeholders have participated and share their views : https://vanshajkumar.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2021/11/07/seminar-experts/

The final Interpretation and Research Analysis , describe the insights to understand the problem statement in depth. https://vanshajkumar.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2021/11/19/interpretation-and-research-analysis/

BACKGROUND:  

The handloom and handicrafts sector generates employment upwards of over 4.3 million people in India making it the second biggest sector after agriculture. India is also the world’s second-largest textile exporter and 90 percent of the world’s handloom is made in India. Source: Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS)  

The pandemic has hit the sector very badly, Millions of artisans went out of jobs, a sector that has many daily wage earners and almost negligible social and medical cover. EA Consult et al. (2021). 

The younger generation is not too enthusiastic to take this legacy further there is a lack of pioneers who can make this sector profitable by taking advantage of technology and e-commerce, this bridge might complement these gaps to overcome in the future. 

My learning totally lies under the strong secondary research & communicating with the real people from Industry. This interaction is very important to learn the actual reality of the sector and execution of interventions.

Learning Ecology

POSITIONALITY: 

I have always been a keen observer of handmade art and I have seen many artisans with all the detailed eyes. I hail from India, where handmade art is prominent in major households, people pursue this art professionally or as a hobby because this is something that brings immense pleasure. My genuine reason to pursue this research is to create a path for artisans towards the opportunities not only in India but at the global level as well for them to grow and channelize their art. Through this ecosystem, I wish to help the community of artisans that will benefit from learning about new opportunities, education, and awareness of their welfare programs. The efforts I make to connect artisans with professionals will not only make it easier for them to access original art but also empower artisans in terms of understanding the fashion industry. 
 

Diary of Uncertainty

The Handloom Textiles constitute a timeless facet of the rich cultural heritage of India, But the Artisans do not get enough recognition, money, and fame in return. Also, the pandemic has clouded their future.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 

SECONDARY RESEARCH:  

My Secondary Research started with interviewing experienced people, referring to online articles, papers, various books, and video content about conceptualizing my first steps.  

Link:

What-Why-How-What If

While talking to people from the Artisan community about the handloom & fashion Industry states that the Artisans are still facing the issues like corruption, inappropriate wages, and labour exploitation, to the copying of designs (link).

Direct from Artisans – https://vanshajkumar.myblog.arts.ac.uk/direct-from-artisans/

This Industry constitutes a timeless facet of the rich cultural heritage of India, but the Artisans do not get enough recognition, wages, and fame in return. Artisan labour is precarious (Scrase 2003), as is their daily lives and that of their families and communities.  

RESEARCH METHOD:  

This research method is Qualitative. (Inductive approach followed up with an evaluation of thematic patterns). Data collection is done by detailed interviews with Professionals and artisans using Interviews, surveys, questionnaires etc. 

Link:

Research Methodology

Qualitative research is a behavioral research method that relies on non-numerical data derived from observations and recordings that approximate and characterize phenomena. Denzin NK, Lincoln YS (eds.). Handbook of Qualitative Research. London: Sage Publications, 2000. 

ACTION RESEARCH PROCESS: 

I have further transcript my research interviews to perform Thematic Analysis for my research. Thematic analysis was first developed by Gerald Holton in 1970s and has recently been accepted as a “distinctive method with a clearly outlined set of procedures in social science” (Braun & Clarke, 2013, p. 178). 

After generating themes, I shared the final survey questionnaire with the artisans & professionals from the creative, film & the fashion industry to perform critical analysis to test the features & functionality of this bridge. 

According to Braun and Clarke (2013), this method involves seven steps: transcription, reading and familiarization, coding, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and finalizing the analysis.

Below are the steps for thematic Analysis :

• Transcribing, Reading, and Familiarization – transcript the recorded data.
• Coding – Coding refers to identifying all relevant pieces of data within the entire dataset to answer the research questions. According to Braun and Clarke (2013).
• Identifying Patterns: Codes to Themes (Sub-Themes and Themes) – Once the coding is completed in the entire dataset, it is time to look for patterns appearing within the data.
• Searching, Reviewing, and Finalizing Themes – The next step is to identify the broader patterns of the data that can be used to answer the research question. Themes and sub-themes can be identified by following the patterns of the data.
• Developing the Analysis – Analyze the resultant themes and draw inferences.

Link:

Action Research Process :

REFLECTION & ANALYSIS: 

The journey during the research intervention was interesting and full of opportunities and challenges during the pandemic. I was able to contact the people from Fashion and Film industry. The artisans I have interacted with are a set of creative people who just need a chance and channel to market themselves. The various experts from Fashion and Films sector from various countries provided their valuable feedback on the features of this bridge during the discussion on the realization approach and scope of this process. 

Reflection lies somewhere around the notion of learning and thinking. We reflect in order to learn something, or we learn as a result of reflecting. I have learned so much through the process of my reflection, I want to mention the experiences I have gained throughout my research. Link – https://vanshajkumar.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2021/10/16/reflection/

Reflection

TYPE OF ANALYSIS: 

My Research analysis type is Thematic Analysis where the approach for the analysis is Inductive. 

Thematic analysis is a qualitative data analysis method that involves reading a data set (such as transcripts from in-depth interviews or focus groups) and identifying patterns in meaning across the data (Braun and Clarke (2013). 

To evaluate the features of the bridge & validation of themes developed during the analysis, responses were sought from a range of stakeholders, including Fashion Buyers, Film Stylists, the British Council, and the Art & Craft Council. (Link) 

Research interviews with professionals, secondary research, and direct conversations with artisans uncovered several factors, and the following are some of the positives and negatives of the research. 

Link:

Intervention and Evidence

EXPERTS: Analysis 

(Link) 

What The Experts Say

Strong Network: This research would hopefully help with the foundation of a strong network that would directly connect the Artisans with the professionals from the film/fashion Industry. (link) 

Authenticity: Authenticity is the major feature of this bridge as all the Artisans & Professionals can connect/register after proper documentation and authentication process. (link) 

Value: As an initiative to connect Artisans with the professionals, might result in the Artisans delivering the expected value in terms of quality designs, unique creation through this bridge. Fashion brands/films are focusing more on creativity, uniqueness, and quality. (link) 

Interview Link :

Interviews

ARTISANS: Analysis (Link) 

Artisans Talk:

Direct from Artisans

Trust: This bridge aims to reflect trust to the artisans in the future in terms of fair labour wages, connecting them with real professionals with or without ethical intermediaries.  

Awareness: Artisans’ community requires the development of strong programs like training, awareness, and education to channelize their work.  

Empowerment: Most artisans are unaware of IPR. Preparing artisans for the film/fashion world would not only help them in terms of wages, workshops, IP (Intellectual Property) rights & schemes but it will help in the eradication of corruption in the process. 

Artisans , participated from various regions in India .

Mr. Shyam Singh ( Rajasthan) – Mr. Shyam Singh Ji is one of the senior artisans, located at Mandawa, Rajasthan. He has passed on this legacy of miniature art to his family. He discussed various critical points about this bridge. He suggested that they aspect work security from this bridge as they get the work on and off. If this bridge could serve them getting the work on a regular basis , that would be very beneficial.

Mr. Rajiv Singh (Madhya Pradesh ) – Mr. Rajiv Singh is one of the talented Artisans working on artforms like Madhubani and Sujni craft in North India. He is keen on collaborating his art in the future at international platforms through digital channels. He aspect this bridge to include this component as well to facilitate them to spread their craft .

Ms. Seema Singh ( Uttar Pradesh ) – Ms. Seems is a diligent, hardworking, and sincere artisan who has excelled in her work in hand embroidery and adda work in Uttar Pradesh. She is experienced as an embroidery artisan who has designed/created many dupattas and sarees in India. She aspect to learn more through this global platform. In the future, she wants to be a part of artistic exchange programs in other countries.

Also had a word with Ajay , Sunita and Raj about their experiences and understanding of this bridge, they suggested that this is an authentic practice to channelize their art and to collaborate in the future.

Various Artisans have participated in the survey conducted by me, their responses have helped me analyze the insights :

Direct from Artisans

“On behalf of our Artisans community, I want to mention that there are very few training/education opportunities for us to keep update in this Digital Era.​

We really want to expand our art in order to make it accessible across our country and Globally as well. We want to be noticed and recognized .​

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“Being well equipped with the talent and Art we are still under noticed and not getting enough opportunities to excel and compete in this modern era.​

Our traditions, cultures are very rich, and our Art is one of the major reasons to keep them alive. Artisans must be enrolled in some good schemes of empowerment.

“We want to learn new fashion and ready to educate ourself if it’s a requirement to rise & empower.​

I want to work with big designers and film professionals, but there is no window to reach them.”​

“We have knowledge and experience but there is no direction to proceed , we work with agents and we get very less wages.​

I feel we are lagging due to lack of education and awareness  ”​

“We always like to give our best in any situation, but the thing that affects us is the lack of opportunities.”

“We continuously work towards perfection with the various suppliers, brands, and private labels. It’s been 5-6 yrs we are working on the same wages and salary. This needs to be changed.”

“So Everyone wants Quality in a very limited budget, how is this possible to deliver Quality in limited resources given to us ? “

“Being a part of the cluster is advantageous, but the times when we have to work as a single artisans, it’s become tough to arrange resources and raw material. Advance payment terms should be worked upon.”

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” I have joined a cluster as a student to work as artisans, but I feel the learning courses / vocational courses should develop some training material to train and empower us as new workers”

“I really enjoy working as an artisan, I feel I have the freedom to work and take care of my house as well. I only feel that we are deprived of many schemes for our welfare. Some government association or unit should register us and help us in our welfare to stabilize our career.”

“I am a full time artisan working for Kalamkari artist , I feel I am a skilled artist. But daily work has no promise of growth, what can we do next? the next step growth is missing somewhere.”

“Apart from my job as a helper , I want to pursue this art as my profession, I want to learn more techniques and artforms in detail. I would like to apply for some workshops to sharpen my skills.”

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“Being a House wife and mother , I got this opportunity to work as an artisan in my free time. I would like to empower myself and want to educate my children.

“I feel happy to be a part of our traditional culture , where our art represents our nation at various levels. I would definitely like to excel and contribute to this sector”

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What part of India do you belong to?

What are the issues you have encountered?

LEARNINGS: 

While working with various stakeholders I have personally learned a lot from all of them, below, points have made many concepts clear in my mind: 

Technology: With increasing internet penetration in the rural parts of the country, there is an opportunity to digitally promote Indian crafts. 

Lack of Proper Wages: Skilled artisans in many regions still work at lower wages.(Link) 

Discussion with Mr. Nikhil Prabhakar ( Creative Director – Indian Film Industry )

Comfortable ecosystem/ Bridge: the comfort factor for an artisan lies in working with people who can understand their problems better and not force them to bring about drastic changes in their working ecosystem. (Link) 

Discussion with Mr. Divyak D’souza ( Fashion Stylist / Costume Designer )

https://youtu.be/r8EFmC0Etb8https://youtu.be/r8EFmC0Etb8

Preservation of culture: This bridge hopes to connect the cultural differences between new & old generations. 

Resistance towards handicrafts: After interviewing a few emerging artisans and young people who are not willing or want to change their art form. (Link) 

Discussion with Ms. Swati Srivastava ( Fashion Designer | Model | Influencer | Actor | Lecturer )

Lack of participation: Various regions in India endowed with rich original traditional art, are not willing to move and participate because of the less returns. (Link) 

Rigid Belief system: The few artisans with strong artisanship are very rigid and not willing to adapt to the new requirement from the fashion industry. (Link) 

Discussion with Mr. Gaurang Shah ( Fashion Designer )

Fast Fashion: Few budding designers are working fast paced and are less interested in training new artisans to save their efforts and time. 

Discussion with Ms. Isha Bhansali ( Celebrity Stylist )

Link:

Artisans Feedback

CHALLENGES & OBSTACLES: 

My research goals and objectives have been challenged by a variety of obstacles. While the artisans in remote areas were hard to reach during the pandemic, though I succeeded with the help of a few groups. A great deal of patience and consistency was needed not only in contacting artisans, but also in contacting experts from the fashion and film industries. While developing the bridge’s feature testing it demands a lot of data and information extraction through the welfare bodies, film production specialists, fashion designers, and fabricators. Initially, few of them were unwilling to participate, but during the sessions, we discussed the functionality and gaps they liked the concept. During the development of my intervention & testing, I was unable to participate in the Canopy markets, Exhibitions, Pop-up shops, etc. Because of my student visa. Apart from this organizing the Seminar / Survey and inviting a target audience with potential interest in handicrafts from different countries was a challenging task to test the bridge features. Getting in touch with professionals from other countries was quite an adventure for me. Currently, I am in discussions with the British council and craft council members to clarify future participation. 

Link:

Entrepreneurial Intervention

FEEDBACK: 

I received constructive and critical feedback from the various stakeholders during my intervention. Where I explored that the realization of this bridge through online, physical, or remote platforms is possible by developing a comfortable ecosystem for artisans. Professionals / Experts agreed to the problem statement that there is a requirement of a bridge to work directly with the artisans with or without intermediaries (Link). A system is needed where craft industries and artisans can be listed in directories so that film and fashion companies can contact them directly. This research will be extended in various phases where continuous implementation of the learnings and concepts will be needed. Approximately 20 experts participated in my final survey during the seminar to test the Bridge features from different countries. I have received various feedback about the implementation of this bridge, we discussed the various challenges and modifications that can be considered in the future (Link). For ex., It requires lots of infrastructure investment for the realization of the development of search navigation on a website through which the buyer can directly reach artisans after searching art forms.

Link: 

ACHIEVED OBJECTIVES: 

I have successfully completed my intervention where is started talking to the artisans and have developed handmade designs, further creation we listed styles/designs under the e-commerce marketplace with one of my ethical intermediaries Disha Sahu. This intervention helped me understand the market requirements and sales patterns of handmade fashion. I planned a photoshoot where I have invited real people to engage with these styles. Apart from this, I have sent the proposal to the designers for incorporating styles by artisans in their upcoming photoshoots / Films. Handmade designs have been sent via courier to London, for my creative practice and interaction with people. The interesting part of this research was contacting various artisans directly , to register them under the directory using aadhaar ids. An online shop creation for these designs is under process for the future. This bridge features various attributes those promise the artisans’ welfare, which we discussed during the seminar with the experts. 

CONCLUSION: 

Link:

OVERALL FINDINGS 

It is clear from this research analysis & interpretation that to access art directly, film and fashion people need a system where artisans are listed in directories. This can be achieved by creating an ecosystem that allows artisans to work directly with industry experts. Overall, I concluded that this system could provide important attributes that enable artisans to excel and deliver quality handmade products within a stipulated period.  In the future, this bridge is meant to encourage hope, trust, and support by continually including the registered professionals in the building of this network to empower artisans. 

LEARNING EDGES: 

My learning edges include particularly challenging actions like identifying the drawbacks in the research. I have worked continuously towards the realization of the bridge considering functional changes like the implementation of search navigation and web interface through feedback during the testing phase of my research. My research shows that this bridge can function as a B2B marketplace where skilled artisans and industry people can do business. There is a digital transformation going on globally, and this bridge can fulfill the needs of the market. However, expect a big infrastructure investment to establish it, at the moment I consider this as my failure. 

FUTURE ACTIONS: 

My future actions will include infrastructure development in terms of technology, database, engaging interface, and search navigation to access different art forms.  

The critical feedback received from potential stakeholders & target audience aims to cover the bridge against future challenges like mobile APP development for artisan’s details, implementation of training modules, and master classes by experts. Moreover, the pilot run indicates that the professionals might require ethical intermediaries in the system for big scale production.