Tired of looking at factory-manufactured products online?
If Bengaluru’s National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has its way, you could shop for products by artisans on popular e-commerce websites.
The NIFT’s Creative Design and Business Incubation Centre (CDBIC), which was launched this April, has taken up the initiative to bring clusters of artisans on a platform they have not yet taken advantage of — the internet.
Already in talks with big names in the e-commerce industry, the institute aims to adopt a demographic cluster of artisans. “We will be the interface. We will identify clusters and assist them with design and digital intervention, research and diversification,” said V. Sivalingam, Director, NIFT, Bengaluru.
Elaborating on the initiative, which is said to be largely driven by the students, R. Reshmi Munshi, assistant professor and cluster initiative coordinator, NIFT, said the institute would help with styling of the products and the e-commerce site will host them.
“They will give us feedback on what is working and what isn’t. We will step in with the design intervention. This way, we can keep our heritage alive while ensuring that they are producing what sells,” she explained.
The main problem, NIFT officials say, is that the stakeholders in the production and supply chain do not know each other. The CDBIC intends to join the dots. But they are not looking for middlemen.
“Warehouse facilities are a big concern for online retail companies. We need vendors who will step up,” Ms. Reshmi said.
