Synopsis
In current scenario of Indian Textile Industry, technical
developments are not blended with good design and design developments lack
technical feasibility. The mutual inter-dependence of design and technology has
little been put to practical use for the benefit of the user.
New technological innovations need to be utilized by textile
designers to develop aesthetically attractive and functionally relevant
products/solutions for the benefit of the industry. Design needs to innovate
and find the alternative applications of the technology and similarly
technology needs to innovate to support new design trends and designers'
aspirations. The approach will help to foster innovation in our products and
create a competitive edge in the global market place.
Proposed paper will initiate a dialogue on above issues
related to technology and design interface. Following are the key areas of
discussions with Indian context:
- State of Indian textile industry
- Technology, design and consumer preferences
- Innovation and textile Industry in new economy
- Textile design- role and responsibility
- Creating innovation culture and managing new
frontiers
Changing Face of Indian Industry
Indian textile industry is at crossroads today and
apprehensions are many. Some of the fears are worst than the times when we
faced the closure of a large number of mills. However, this time the fear is
not only restricted to India but is in most of textile producing countries. The
apprehensions are for business environment becoming global and the fact that
textile consumption actually is going down in most markets. Many companies are
already having financial difficulties. In anticipation, some forward looking
companies have tried strategies like investing heavily in modern technology,
cost cutting measures, becoming more capital intensive, brand building,
innovative marketing, etc. to prepare themselves for future. But none of these
efforts are able to eliminate current apprehensions completely. The situation
calls for a vision that is India specific and perhaps provides for the core of
our future strategies.
Interestingly, as soon as we shifted from our traditional
craft base to production-oriented industry, the main focus was to achieve
greater productivity. Increased productivity and the market forces very soon
started putting emphasis on quality and frequently the industry met this demand
very well. Later on, the competition grew and the industry evolved to be market
driven and today even that does not seem to be sufficient to ensure a sustainable
growth.
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About the Author
The author
is a Textile designer and is associated with National Institute of Design,
(NID), Ahmedabad, India
