creative

Taking a shot at short films; Shamiana Arts

by Paul Joseph February 9, 2012 Featured

Good things come in small packages and so do movies. Short films have become a rage these days with several aspiring filmmakers trying out their hand at this medium of storytelling. It’s crisp, precise, engaging and most importantly brief. Welcome to Shamiana Arts – a platform that connects short filmmakers and short film lovers from all around the world to indulge in a cinematic rendezvous. With a team of 50 people, Shamiana is present across 10 cities and have featured in major film festivals like IFFI, Kala Ghoda and India Fest. They are also a regular partcipant at various college fests. Cyrus Dastur, the founder of Shamiana Arts, talks to YourStory on how Shamiana is carving a niche for itself in the film fraternity by bringing the disorganized short film society together, on a common dais. Although, India has one of the largest film industries in the world, there are very few platforms in the country that allow short-film makers to showcase their talent and more importantly a forum where budding directors can discuss their films. “The idea was to bring the disorganized short film industry across the spectrum together. And we have successfully managed to do that to a large extent, though there’s a lot of work still to be done. Each season brings in new people and new ideas,” Dastur tells YourStory in a candid interview. Right through his school days, Dastur has been an active participant and an admirer of the theatre world.  After his graduation, Dastur pursued a Master’s degree in commercial law and also writes a weekly column for Bombay Mirror on art and entertainment. “Shamiana had its first screening in a small café in Mumbai in 2009 and ever since, it has been a fun filled journey,” says Dastur. Every day, almost a dozen short films are uploaded on their Facebook page . Shamiana is also planning to launch its own YouTube channel soon. “ I always tell people to dream. Sadly in this country, we’ve stopped dreaming. We’re too caught up in little things and we keep changing goalposts. That should change,” Dastur exclaims. Dastur and his venture Shamiana Arts are leaving no stones unturned to help film-lovers take notice of the innumerable short films that our talented young directors make every year, but often get unnoticed under the glamour of our mainstream commercial cinema. We, at YourStory.in wish to congratulate them and their team on the amazing work they have done so far and pray that they continue to get bigger and better in the time to come. For the time being, I am off to their page to get my shortcut to entertainment. Aothor: Krishnakali Sengupta

Tagged as: accounting, creative, creative entrepreneurs, Featured, guest-columns, intel, lose-something, patents, popular-on-cloudstory-in, startup, unsexy-startups

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Cook up your Graphics with Graphicurry

by Paul Joseph February 7, 2012 Featured

“ Graphicurry is the result of a lifetime of passion, hoards of creativity and a relentless will to thrive,” says Prasad Bhat, Founder, Graphicurry. Graphicurry was founded in March 2010 and aims to become the one-stop design firm for both the online and offline design space. It is based out of Bangalore. Why the name Graphicurry? “ The name was coined with my love for Creativity and Food. Who knows one day I would run a restaurant affiliated to Graphicurry as well,” says Prasad. Prasad knew he had an artist’s psyche the day he stumbled upon the joys of sketching. Before starting up he was actively part of the Bangalore metal scene and had his own bands as well. As fate would have it, he joined an Engineering college. But soon after graduating he realized that he wasn’t molded to be a programming geek. He worked with a few design firms to hone his skills and finally in 2010, backed by encouragement from loved ones, he plunged into starting Graphicurry. “ I’m an engineer by education, musician at heart and an artist on the whole,” he sums up perfectly. Initially Graphicurry got projects through word of mouth references, social networking and also through the people Prasad knew during his association with the city’s music circle. The name is unique. What else? Graphicurry provides all design requirements that a business might need, be it online or offline. Right from brand identity, website design, logo creation and design and prints to illustrations, photography and caricatures, Graphicurry takes care of all graphic media requirements. “ Graphicurry comes across as a design studio for all your graphic media requirements. We provide brand solutions that are in trend, customer centric and noteworthy,” adds Prasad. Prasad specializes in caricatures and says that a lot of Graphicurry’s clientele and followers came to know of them because of the art. “There is enough misery in the world, my art is meant to put a smile on your face,” says Prasad. So, what has been the Graphicurry story so far? Graphicurry has worked with a number of international clients and projects. Prasad’s work has been exhibited across Bangalore. Recently he held exhibitions at Opus (near Palace Grounds) and Safina Plaza. Besides generating revenue from design projects he undertakes on behalf of a client, he also sells his art work to clients from across the world. Prasad has worked on the Raghu Dixit Project website and also on Kryptos’ (Bangalore based metal band) website. He has also worked on Common Colors’ (Bangalore based event management company) logo. Prasad is the only one fueling Graphicurry and so he outsources all back-end programming requirements. Where do you see Graphicurry five years from now? The design studio will continue to function as it is currently, with an eye on increasing efficiency. “ I see us being recognized as a Brand synonymous for Art and Creativity, globally,” says Prasad. Next in line are plans to take Graphicurry the corporate way. Prasad says that he is working on streamlining the process and resources and in another two years hope to truly go global with his artwork. “I am working with venture capitalists to expand our reach and reach out to our target audience,” he adds. In the past two years Prasad has had his share of moments of joy and distress. He thinks that it is important for an entrepreneur to believe that he has what it takes to provide a service or create a product, which no one else can. Ensuring that a support system is in place is another crucial aspect, while starting up. Initially finances are a major challenge. “ Being a startup, clients may sometimes not take you seriously, delay payments or cause unnecessary complexities. But during this phase just tell yourself; this too shall pass,” says Prasad. “ Have faith in yourself, your skill and let your work speak for itself,” sums up Prasad. We at YourStory believe every startup should make this their mantra. Find out more about Graphicurry here or check their Facebook page .

Tagged as: accounting, creative, creative entrepreneurs, disclaimer, graphics, guest-columns, india, learning-market, lose-something, management, password

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Siddhartha Das Studio; Connecting Through Culture

by Paul Joseph February 6, 2012 Featured

Siddhartha Das graduated as an Exhibition Designer from the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, and established his studio in 2002. He started the studio with his own money and is now looking to find a funder who shares his vision and realizes the commercial viability of the area he works in. Over 10 years, his Studio has led or collaborated on roughly 100 cultural projects in seven countries across four continents, on different aspect of planning, strategies and design for heritage, public, museum and other cultural spaces. The Studio maintains a lean core team of half a dozen cultrala and design professionals, that has built a vast network of professionals from across the country and around the world to innovatively conceive and design projects. It blends national with international, rural with urban, and youth with experience. The approach is to collaborate rather than compete. ‘ Siddhartha Das Studio ’ offers a wide variety of in-house expertise: spatial, graphic design, furniture, crafts, lighting, signage and brand design. All projects are dealt with from a systems design approach rather than a perspective of the area of design. The Studio and sometimes in his individual capacity, Siddhartha collaborates on roughly half of his projects with others from the world of arts, design and just about any area of life. This has brought designers, architects, curators and writers from Sweden, UK, Turkey,Spain, USA and Japan to come and work at the studio on stints ranging from 1 to 6 months. Some of his accomplishments include thescenography of Interior Space of the 18 th  century monument, Jal Mahal, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India; Curation & Design of a Film Museum,Guwahati, Assam, India;  One of nine international designers invited to submit concept design proposal for the ICRC/Red Cross Museum, Geneva, Switzerland; Curation & Concept Design of a public space (a Plaza) Monterrey, Mexico; and in Chiba, Japan;Curation & Design of Museum Exhibition: Indian Fans, Museum Rietberg, Zurich,  Switzerland; Co-Concept Designer of Exhibition: Encounters, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK; Curation & Concept Design Proposal for Museums: Museum on Transport, Children Museum on History of Delhi, for Archaeological Surevey of India; Heritage Signage & Furniture, Gateway of India, Mumbai; 19 th  century sites in Amritsar, Punjab; and  Chokelao Bagh, Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. Besides, they have also done Photography & design for the art book on Textile: Threads & Voices edited by Laila Tyabji, published by Marg, India and Photography Projects during Visual Arts Residencies in Canada & Japan. “I have been fortunate to receive a few grants and fellowships.” Says Siddhartha, “I am Nehru Trust, Charles Wallace and an AsiaSociety Fellow. I received artist and cultural grants from the Japan Foundation, Embassy of France in India, and the Fogo Island Arts Corporation, Canada. In 2009, I was awarded the Indian Young Design Entrepreneur and subsequently the International Young Design Entrepreneur at 100% Design, UK’s premier Design event by the British Council.” He goes on to say “Getting the International Young Design Entrepreneur Award was an important landmark in my professional life. YCEprovided me with a bouquet of rewarding experiences; I was fortunate to interact with my British counterparts, whose passionate approach to how they envisioned their work and studios was contagious.  Being able to show some of my work at the 100% Design inLondon, was equally enriching through various interactions. The Award money and the program helped find an enthusiastic collaborator in a Nick Rawcliff, an alumnus of Royal College of Art, London, to work with me and 35 other bamboo craftspeople in remote Tripura, to create products that found their way back to 100% Design in London. I hope my interaction with the YCE program remains a vibrant one and I look forward to contributing to it in any way I can.” He concludes. Follow the  Young Creative Entrepreneur Awards (YCE) on Facebook .

Tagged as: accounting, creative, guest-columns, internet, investment, learning, marketing, startup

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Toubé Bäs: An Online Store for T-Shirts that make a Strong Statement!

by Paul Joseph February 2, 2012 Featured

“No-nonsense t-shirts about a passion, or a cause.” That, dear readers, is Toubé Bäs for you! Based out of Mumbai, Toubé Bäs is an online store for funky Tee’s with a message that portrays a passion. The USP of Toubé Bäs is that the t-shirts are more ‘customer-centric’ as they talk about passions (like football or tennis) or emotions about a certain thing, rather than being ‘design-centric’. Other t-shirt companies generally create cool designs first and then push them to the customer. So if you are expecting floral prints or butterflies, ‘Error 404’ . You are at the wrong webpage! What you may seek and what you shall find in the t-shirt designs here is a print with a purpose. Not an erratic design but a meaningful statement. A mysterious thing about Toubé Bäs, that I’d love to tell my readers about, is their policy of new releases. So a new print t-shirt strictly releases on the 13 th  of every month. Spooky, eh? And with that, the t-shirts are limited edition. Another quirky fact about the company is that only 501 t-shirts of a kind are sold. Ever! That means, Toubé Bäs will keep making t-shirts and release one t-shirt on the 13 th of every month; of which, a particular design will only sell 501 t-shirt units – after which they just burn the frame! So who is behind this wacky label? Sorabh Sodhani stirred up his creative cells to materialize this business idea. He did his B.Tech followed by an M.Tech from IIT Bombay, specializing in Metallurgical Engineering and Material Sciences. He then completed his MBA in Sports Management from Coventry Business School, UK. “I wouldn’t call it a business idea yet. It’s just that I make t-shirts about certain passions and put them up just in case someone finds them interesting enough to buy” , Sorabh points out. Speaking about how Toubé Bäs started, Sorabh says, “It all started when I made a t-shirt about football, my biggest passion, and my football playing friends in Bangalore started buying them. That was when I was getting frustrated as the CEO of MeraSport Technologies in Bangalore. We were not getting anywhere as a startup, so I decided to make things roll with an online store!” And so it did! With an initial capital of Rs. 2500/- Sorabh launched Toubé Bäs on February 13 th , 2009. He gets the printing done in Bengaluru and sources the shirts from Tirupur. As he successfully managed to get Toubé Bäs organically funded, he doesn’t plan to raise funds for now. He is not even looking at starting his own stores since it may become an expensive affair and then he’d have to push the costs down to the customers. A one-man team, Toubé Bäs has close to 100 unique visitors each day in the age group that ranges from 15 to 50. Their market size is equivalent to the number of people who are passionate about something in their lives. People who have ‘spotted their flower’, if I were to borrow a phrase from ‘Adaptation’. With that, they make 90% domestic and 10% International sales each year. “People have warmed up big-time to the idea of t-shirts not being just a piece of cloth, but a statement of intent, a medium of expression. T-shirts do not hide as much as they really reveal!” says Sorabh. Preachers of passion have to be passionate people themselves. And Sorabh is no different. A sports freak, Sorabh has represented Mumbai in the Ultimate Frisbee sport with the Mumbai team: Storm Chasers. He has been a professional football referee with WIFA affiliated Bombay Football Referee Association and has organised Ultimate Frisbee clinics for children in rural areas for community development through sports. He’s a passionate runner, cyclist, football player (playing in the MDFA league), volley ball player and owns “Run Bombay76”, the official merchandise store of IIT Bombay. And how has the response so far been? “Heart-warming. I don’t care so much about the sales, but I have made some really cool friends who are so, so passionate in life, that it is inspiring!” he chirps. To wrap it up in a nutshell, I rephrase V, of the Vendetta fame, to put this any better, for “Beneath this shirt there is more than flesh. Beneath this shirt there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof.” J So whilst I search for an Arsenal jersey on  Toubé Bäs , please share your thoughts about this venture by dropping a comment here! Author – Abhilasha Dafria

Tagged as: creative, creative entrepreneurs, education, guest-columns, indian, investment, learning, namrata-shah, pallav-nadhani, startups, technology, unsexy-startups

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German Entrepreneur, Isabelle Jasmin Roth, speaks about her experiences of Starting Up in India

by Paul Joseph February 1, 2012 Featured

Isabelle Jasmin Roth is a 26 year old German entrepreneur based inDelhi. Her first venture was a business consultancy, in the field of environmental technologies and market entry, for German companies. Now she is ready with her second venture. Isabelle is the Managing Director of a German marketing and communication agency, Avantgarde. Wolfgang Bergthaler in conversation with Isabelle about the German perspective on entrepreneurship in India. What led to you shifting base to India? Tell us a bit about your entrepreneurial journey in India. I studied Political Science at the University of Heidelberg, South Asia Institute, with a focus on South Asia, primarily India and Pakistan. This led to quite a few internships inIndiaand I got a chance to travel to Chandigarh, New Delhi and various other places over a course of time. It was during these internships that I developed a keen interest and fascination for business inIndia, which introduced me to the forever accelerating and changing world of business in India. In 2008, parallel to my studies, I had the wonderful opportunity to work as the Director of a startup in India. A spur of the moment decision led to my shifting base toIndiaand I seized the opportunity. It has been a great learning experience and I have been able to develop and hone my entrepreneurial skills. Three years have passed, since I moved here, and my love affair withIndiacontinues. I am looking forward to the next chapter inIndia, with Avantgarde. Why did you exit your last venture to build up the organization and run the business for Avantgarde in India? What excited you about your new project? After three successful years, a lot of hard work and starting a business from scratch, I decided it was time for a new project and a new challenge.Indiais an ever evolving place, in every aspect. Creativity is evident everywhere you look. The chance to put my creativity to use with such a well established agency as Avantgarde in experiential marketing, inIndia, seemed a fantastic opportunity. It gave me a chance to turn ideas into reality. UnderstandingIndia’s nuances, trends, likes, dislikes and processing this information into successful, memorable events and campaigns drives me and my team to create experiences and above all, create fans. After all, in this industry, there is no better place to be thanIndia, where anything is possible. We need only look over the last 5 years at the incredible innovation and transformation that has taken place. There is no other place more exciting to live and work, at this present moment in time! The number of women in the startup space is still quite low. What do you think are the obstacles faced by women entrepreneurs in India? I am not sure. However I have learnt that you must be tough, alert and prepared for anything. This applies to both men and women. As an entrepreneur, you must always train hard so you are ready for the unexpected. There are many successful female entrepreneurs, though numbers may be less in comparison to men. Being an “entrepreneurial existentialist” is more of an attitude of life rather than a job. I am sure, in time to come, the statistics of men to women as successful entrepreneurs will change. And let us not forget the old saying: ‘behind every successful man is a woman and behind every successful woman is a man’. You came to work in the Indian business environment, which is maybe one of the most competitive in the world, especially Delhi. What drives you? Honestly! To create reality! My work is my environment. From interactions with ice-cream vendors and autowallas to reading the latest article in current affairs, my job is to process it and create experiences for the public. The competitive nature ofDelhi only pushes me to work harder. I don’t see it as a difficult environment, but one that will assist me in bettering myself and the hurdles that anyone startup faces. I get a sense of joy at the end of the day when I am able to accomplish so much in, as you said, one of the most competitive environments in the world. Foreign or local, I think all of us face challenges. If you compare German youth with Indian, in terms of entrepreneurship, what do you observe? Over the last 4 years I have seen the startup businesses inIndiaflourish. The youth ofIndiaappear to initiate and execute ideas that the youth in Germany would think twice about, and the Indian youth appear to do this with little capital. The entrepreneurial space in India is far greater than Germany. The youth here can take more daring risks in terms of business than compared toGermany. This is evident in many of the new businesses in India over the last year, with innovative and unorthodox business having been set up to meet endless needs as India grows. For the youth inGermany, the entrepreneurial space is a lot narrower, with more restrictions. I believeIndiais a great place to realize many a dream and see those dreams become a reality far quicker than inGermanyat this present time. This is even more evident in the social entrepreneurship scene, where passionate minds are paving the way forward for many social issues in such a vast country asIndia. Both social and business interests are at the heart of this.India’s youth in this field is far more evident than compared to that of Germany’s. What can Germans learn from Indians? That anything is possible. To be spontaneous, fun and to seize any opportunity that comes their way, without thinking too much about where it will take them. Given the environment ofIndia, thinking on your feet and problem-solving skills are great lessons for Germans. They need to realize that there is always a way to overcome hurdles whilst being laid back and positive. And of course, the passion Indians have for their culture, incredible food and the wonderful sense of family one has when interacting with anyone in any environment. It is Incredible India after all! What lesson must Indians learn from Germans, if any? It is the old song; discipline, quality management and processes, along with being more assertive instead of deflecting responsibilities and decisions. But this must be learnt in the ‘Masala’ way! You can read more about Avantgarde here .

Tagged as: creative, education, entrepreneur, guest-columns, india, indian, microsoft, pallav-nadhani, technology

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Design Entrepreneur, Ishan Khosla – “Design is a calling and one should be ready to go beyond”

by Paul Joseph January 10, 2012 Featured

Born inCochin, to a father in the Navy and mother in Advertising, Ishan Khosla lived inBombayfor few years before his family settled inDelhi. As a child, he used to merge the worlds of his parents – that of the armed forces and advertising – and loved to draw and paint fighter jets, design cars and copy existing logos. He used to also write to Matchbox and Hot Wheels in theUKand US and give critiques to the car designs of their toys and layouts of their catalogues. During his school education, he somehow lost this “visual sensibility” and left for the USwhen he was 19 to pursue a degree in Computer Science. Eventually, he studied a year at the Art Institute of Chicago before doing an MFA in Design from the Schoolof Visual Artsin New York. After working in the USfor few years, he decided to come back to Indiain 2008 to start his own firm -  Ishan Khosla Design . Initially, he started working from his bedroom, with just a laptop and an internet connection. Over time, he moved to his own office space and had couple of interns to work with him – which meant his overheads were low. This really helped him to get started and be profitable from the beginning. He came at a time, when the demand for design was very high and with very few design firms, they were, and still are, flooded with work. After two years, he managed to move into a proper studio inHauzKhasVillage. The main challenge in the beginning was to understand client expectations inIndia, since he was new to that. As of now, except a few clients from whom they get repeat work, new clients approach them for work. “We rarely approach others since we are enjoying the work we get from existing and new clients”, says Ishan. Talking more about his clientele, Ishan adds, “I think clients, who are in some way connected to culture, design or the visual arts, seem to understand design and budgeting for design better. However, the typical response from clients tends to be – doing the work right away for very little cost. There is also a bad habit to compare my company’s costs to other places. They do not understand the ‘cost to quality’ ratio. In a way, I understand their predicament, since design – especially graphic design, is a very abstract field where it’s hard to pin down costs for various aspects of the design. I try to explain my clients the trinity of quality, cost and time. Clients should only select two – with one always being quality – so its either quality and cost or quality and time. This means they have to choose between paying the price or giving the designer the time to work on the project.” Currently, Ishan Khosla Design is working on several projects such as an exhibition for a store inParisfor later this year and also a project for Rubina, where they will be working with women artisans to create products for sale in theUS. They are also working on designing various aspects of a school – from the brand identity to way-finding and wall graphics. Additionally, they are working on an ecommerce website for a store that sells home products. They are also working on a bunch of book covers. When asked what his future projects would include, Ishan said “I would like to do work that combines technology and design – where we can use technology to drive the design and experiment with new ways of the design process itself. What I would love to do is, be able to brand an airline or a cultural festival.” Ishan opines that the biggest issue inIndiawith young designers is that they seem to be more focused on earning instead of learning. “When I was in theUS, even Master’s students did not get paid internships but here I had prospective interns who wanted 15K a month.” he says. “If young designers are passionate about design then they shouldn’t worry about money in the beginning, if they are more interested in how much they get, perhaps design is the wrong profession for them. Design is a calling and one should be ready to go beyond. It’s not appropriate of me to advise any one who is “creative” to do graphic design or any other field. They should have a love and passion for it. If they don’t, then in the long run it will become a job not a lifestyle.” Ishan Khosla was the winner of British Council’s Young Fashion Entrepreneur Awards, 2010. To know more about the Young Fashion Entrepreneur Awards, click  here . Follow the  Young Creative Entrepreneur Awards (YCE) on Facebook . – Abhilasha Dafria

Tagged as: creative, creative entrepreneurs, design entrepreneurs, yce

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Rachana Reddy Accessories; An exclusive fashion label for women

by Paul Joseph January 9, 2012 Featured

Rachana Reddy, an accessory specialist from the London College of Fashion, came up with her own label in May of 2010, after having worked with companies like Pavers England Footprints and Munch Design Worx in the same field. Once she made the decision to quit engineering, she followed her creative calling and took up designing and then eventually started her own label for the need of something more personal. From being an accessory specialist to now an entrepreneur with her own label, the journey for Rachana as she says, “has just begun”, we at YourStory bring to you excerpt of our conversation with this budding design entrepreneur, who has already made her mark in the fashion circles with the popular  Padma Clutch. Starting up It was a natural progression. I was working in a footwear company  prior to starting up my label .I felt I needed a more personal outlet to express my creativity and my mind was working overtime with new ideas. The first ever product I created for my label was the Padma Clutch which has become my signature bestselling piece . My first collection was all about bringing my most natural inspirations together. I started the label to give my ideas an outlet after they were bottled up for quite some time. “Rachana Reddy”, being a fashion accessories label, strives to blend tradition with contemporary luxury keeping in mind the versatile sensibility of today’s women. We currently specialize in clutch bags in distinct combinations of wood, leather and silks. Conceptualized and designed by me, the clutches are handcrafted by skilled local artisans in limited editions with an emphasis on clean cuts, elegant motifs and fine detailing. Money to Startup? I have bootstrapped the venture with a seed investment of INR 4 Lakhs. I would prefer growing organically till we have strengthened and established ourselves in few other areas. Not looking for funding immediately, but lets see how the future shapes up. Team We are based out ofBangaloreand have an in-house team of 6 people. For wood work, we work with small team of local artisans . Other labels in the market you admire? Your Differentiation? There are some good accessory designers inIndialikeMalaga, Meera Mahadevia, Rinaldi but each of us is very different, so it is a healthy competition. We strive to create an edge for ourselves with the distinct sensibility, use of materials and craftsmanship. I believe that it is all about the detailing. We offer well made, striking pieces that are sure shot conversation starters. We mostly make them in limited editions and they can pass off as little pieces of art. With each collection, we want to push our boundaries and innovate in the Indian market. Go to market  Initially it started off with a few happy customers and word of mouth .Good reviews are really important for a product as niche as ours in the fashion Industry. It opens up people into trying it out and that they gave us an edge. Also, since  our product was unique, it caught the eye of media quite early. Since the launch of our e-store, we have just started to focus more on social media. Revenue Model  We work on three basic models: Consignment, Wholesale and Direct. Indian retailers play it hard with accessory designers. Most of our stock is on consignment here and it becomes hard if the product is not sold and is returned after 6 months. International orders make more business sense as they are all wholesale orders. We get a lot of direct orders and to meet that requirement efficiently we launched an E-store. Market size and your market It is in fact very niche but the market is opening up and becoming bigger with time. To put in hard figures, the accessories market on the whole in India stands around 10,000 crores out of which the handbags market alone is at roughly 1000 crores. This is again only from the organised sector and it has been growing around 20% YoY. Your challenges as an entrepreneur? Coming from a design background, I face a different set of challenges I suppose. I’d consider labour management to be one of the biggest challenges right now. But as I’ve progressed, I’ve learnt to macro-manage and there are a few things which take care of themselves. The other challenge would be to get things done on time. Having moved in fromLondon, readjusting is a bit taxing. Distribution and marketing as this is a very niche product are among the other challenges I fight with daily. What can we expect in the future from Rachana Reddy label? We want to build on what we are known for now. This year we would like to branch out into a bit of jewellery and footwear. Additionally, we are keen on launching an accessories brand for men and women focussing on well made, well designed utilitarian and casual bags. Rachana Reddy label sells at 12 high end stores across India and 2 Paul Smith stores in London. You can visit the e-store at  www.shop.rachanareddy.com – Shradha Sharma

Tagged as: creative, creative entrepreneurs, fashion, rachana reddy

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Fashion Label Pero: Inspired by local styles and trends

by Paul Joseph November 14, 2011 Featured

‘Péro’, which means ‘to wear’ in Marwari, is a label launched by Aneeth Arora, a textile design graduate from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and a fashion design graduate from National Institute of Fashion Technology. In conversation with Abhilasha Dafria from YourStory.in, this textile and fashion designer tells us more about the plethora of opportunities the textile industry offers. Read on! Aneeth Arora was the winner of British Council’s Young Fashion Entrepreneur Awards, 2011. To know more about the Young Fashion Entrepreneur Awards, click  here . Follow the  Young Creative Entrepreneur Awards (YCE) on Facebook Aneeth, if someone asked you tell them about Pero in less than 50 words, what would you say? ‘Péro’ interprets international aesthetic using local material and skills and takes inspiration from what surrounds us to make a product that connects with people across the world. The Indianness of Péro rests in the textile process where materials and techniques have been passed down generations from one craftsperson to the other thereby carrying forward the Indian tradition of handmade textiles and creating pieces that are at once unique. Was it difficult to introduce the concept of traditional fabrics to the international market?  It was not difficult to introduce the concept of traditional fabric to the international market at all. On the contrary, it is difficult to get Indians to understand that our textiles can be very trendy if incorporated in fashion in the right way because they mistake traditional with ethnic. Something that is traditional for India is a very unique, beautifully-crafted piece of textile for the international market. Where are your weavers based and what is your team size? I work with weavers all over India, the most important centres being Chanderi, Maheshwar, West Bengal, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. I have worked with ‘gamcha’ weavers in Assam as well. I have a team of 10 people excluding the women who do handwork for me. Everything else, such as stitching is outsourced. How many retail outlets do you have across India? Which cities in India and other countries do you predominantly sell to? Péro is sold through close to 15 retail outlets in India. Internationally, it is sold in 20 countries, including Japan, Italy, France and UK, through 60 shops. Could you tell us about your tie-ups? Which stores must one visit to pick up a Pero outfit? I am currently functioning independently, without any tie-ups apart from a distribution firm in Italy that distributes the label exclusively throughout the world except India. In India, the label can be found at stores like Ogaan, Ensemble, Melange, Cinnamon, Amethyst, Evoluzione etc. Are you also looking at launching an online store soon? Since the label is already present in 20 countries and all stores have their different mark up strategy, it is not possible to sell the product online at a price which will be very different from the price it is sold for in different countries. Hence, we ruled out the e-commerce way of doing business. Could you share some interesting trends about the market you are trying to capture? What fascinates and inspires me most is the way people in India and the world style themselves. They are effortlessly trendy, thereby making them real trend setters of the time. The resulting garment evokes some sense of culture from which it originates. This culture communicates internationally in a way that the wearer looks equally at ease on the streets of Paris or London, as she does here in India. The look is not about an age group or season; it is about a mindset, a willingness to incorporate the effortless style of local people in ones attire. What is your USP? Péro’s USP is the fact that each textile is especially made for each collection. The design process starts at the fabric stage and sometimes even at the yarn stage. It is almost like an artist weaving his own canvas before he starts to paint on it. How did you acquire the capital to startup? I was working for a year-and-a-half before I started my label. Savings from my earlier job helped me start my label. If we get any interesting offers from any investors, we would definitely consider it. Any vital tips for budding entrepreneurs in your industry? I would just like to say that ‘look around, the inspiration lies all around you. Get inspired and influenced and you will be surprised with what you can create if you are true to yourself.’ Lastly, could you tell us about your experience with YCE? My experience with YCE was a very enriching one. It was good to meet 23 other designers from 19 other countries and know about their culture and above all, understand their outlook on design. It was an eye-opener to see so many talented people and each one was special in their own way. Do check out  www.pero.co.in  for some stylish outfits! You may also like to read: Sanjay Garg, Founder, Raw Mango on being a ‘fashion’ entrepreneur Entrepreneurship Development Programme at Institute of Fashion Technology, Sualkuchi, Guwahati “I have always felt as a country we lack the correct business structure for a creative stream like fashion” – Amit Aggarwal, Morphe

Tagged as: amazon, ayurveda-kerala, cloud resources, creative, events, events-listing, human resources, iaccelerator, krithika nelson, pero, startups

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Manage your Virtual Identity Creatively with FirstBase

by Paul Joseph November 7, 2011 Featured

Firstbase literally means ‘the first impression’ and here is a company which manages brand images in the most creative of ways – with character design and motion graphics. FirstBase believes in integrating effective brand communication with impeccable graphics and design. Jubin Mehta from YourStory.in catches up with Founder of FirstBase Sumit Charles to know more Excerpts: How and when did you startup? Firstbase was formed because we felt we had something to offer the print and digital design industry. The 3D gaming industry was booming in India and we could see a huge gap in the expected and delivered user experience. I have always been inclined towards user experience. The need for change grew and I, along with my partner Harleen –now our Chief Creative Strategist and cousin Ashish -Head of our 3D Gaming and Cinematics, decided to take a risk and explore new possibilities. Year 2009 was the year of change. We started with 3D gaming and Cinematics and in 2010 we entered into branding and packaging design.We graduated to brand communication with the inclusion of the GODFATHER Beer (from Devans Modern Breweries) in our portfolio. Tell us about a project you’ve been very proud of. Also attach a jpeg of the outcome if possible. We are really proud to be associated  SCAPSAgent.com  - the first Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) and First Person Shooter (FPS) game to be played in-browser. In Branding and packaging, one of our design (Bulldozer Beer) as selected as one of the top 5 packaging designs of the world. (Accompanying picture) Throw some light on the 3D gaming area. Which softwares do you use? This is one of the most sought after sector today. We all have evolved from Pac-Man, the first video game superstar, which came into life around 30 years ago, to a game such as ArkhamCity or Red Dead Redemption that seems to have completely redefined the gaming experience. 3D gaming offers an enhanced gaming experience with as good as real environment. Softwares   – We use PixologicZbrush 4.0, Autodesk 3ds Max 2011, Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Adobe After Effects. Tell us a about yourself and your team. We have a small and beautiful team of 15 artists. Even our programmers are artists and create a wonderful product. Harleen Mehta, the Chief Creative Strategist of the company, comes from an advertising background and has worked with Ogilvy and Mather and Ashish Andrew, head of our 3D gaming and Cinematics, has an extensive experience in 3D gaming and high quality 3D movies.I have been involved in combining creativity with functionality for most of my working life, having started my career as a Web Architect in Seoul, South Korea in the year 2000. In 2005 I started working as an Art Director for a New Delhi based design firm. I have worked in different domains but have always had this entrepreneur bug. Firstbase seems like a great place to work at. How big is your team and are you hiring? We are always looking for talent and passion. If you have these, welcome aboard! We have a 15 people team and a lot of contract based artists. We hire from – Doodled.net. It is a social network for illustrators, designers, gamers and animators. It’s a great platform to meet and hire some really good artists. Tell us about the kind of clients you have now. We have client from these 3 verticals: 1) 3D Gaming and Cinematics 2) Brand Communication 3) UI Design(web, apps) In the last 2 years we are really fortunate to have worked with Philips(Holland), Slime Sandwich, Oxford University Press, GE Capital, NIIT, UFC, Devans. Who was your first client? How did you grow from there? Slime Sandwich – an online gaming giant from Denver, US (Founded by Douglas Glover, and founder of the legendary web portal Photobucket.com – Alex Welch). We have a wonderful and ever growing relationship with this client. Our first product was SCAPSAgent - an online MMO and first person shooter game. The story-line is written by Marvel Comics author, Michael Lent. We have been really fortunate to have Doug as our client. He has helped us tremendously in recommending us to several other clients including people from Marvel Comics! What is your revenue model? We offer services and have launched some products. Major part of our revenue is generated through our service wing.We are now focusing on products and one of our products MoneyonRoad ( www.moneyonroad.com ) is all set for the launch! Out of the huge repertoire of the services that Firstbase provides now, which one brings in the maximum revenue? Brand Communication (including Packaging design and Advertising) Here is the link for the immensely popular game: http://www.scapsagent.com/ and more awesomeness at: www.firstbase.in  You may also like to read: Amit Chelawat, FactCertifier: Verification of identity, credibility & experience Golive.com Transcendix, Remotely Manage your HR!

Tagged as: amazon, creative, creative entrepreneurs, dell-innovators, divyesh kharade, events, krithika nelson, news

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PinkElefant: India’s first dedicated Toy Design Studio

by Paul Joseph October 31, 2011 Featured

A creative mind knows no “right” or “wrong”. It is at its best when left to explore the possibilities beyond the obvious. Living with this belief, Suhasini Paul, an industrial design post graduate from National Institute of Design (NID) founded Pink Elefant, a Toy Design studio that celebrates the colour of child-like imagination…free-spirited, pure and innocent. Also, Suhasini Paul was one of the finalists at British Council’s Young Design Entrepreneur Awards, 2009. To know more about the Young Design Entrepreneur Awards, click here . Follow the Young Creative Entrepreneur Awards (YCE) on Facebook Abhilasha Dafria from YourStory.in finds out more about her venture. What is Pink Elefant all about? Tell us in detail. Pink Elefant is the first dedicated Toy Design studio in India. We also have our own line of products to offer like Monster Hugs and My Lilliput Army. We work closely with our customers at both the ends, manufacturer at one end and user on the other. Our specialization lies in design of products, kitchenware, furniture, apart from toys and learning aids. With focus towards target users and using observation as a tool, we do in-depth task analysis. Genuine needs are seldom spoken. We dig out latent needs and desires and address them through our concepts. We validate the concepts using quick models, prototypes and then refine and create final design specifications. At Pink Elefant, we combine in depth research, user understanding, and technology to create a customized design process which results in truly innovative and cost effective designs for our clients with the understanding of material, process and optimized costing. We facilitate organizations to identify untapped potential. We believe in completing the cycle of designing all the way from concepts to end product to packaging to catalogue. Pink Elefant is currently involved not only in the discovery of new ideas or concepts, but also new associations of talents and businesses, fuelled by sheer creativity. Toy design firm sounds exciting. What is your prior work experience and educational background? Just after post-graduating from NID in Toy Design, I began my journey as a design entrepreneur in 2005, hunting opportunities for design intervention in the toy sector. Ever since, I have been actively involved in spreading awareness about Toy Design, the new profession in India, by giving lecturers in design Schools like IILM school of Design, NIFT Delhi, IIT Kanpur and NID. I am often invited by NDTV for a chat show – ‘Bringing up baby’, to share the perspective of a Toy Designer on choosing and buying appropriate toys for children, and also to talk about special need toys, developmental toys and toy safety. In 2005, I was honoured by the Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri. Narendra Modi as the first lady ‘Designprenuer’ of India. The same year, “Dialogue” – communication aid toy was selected as a finalist at the Business World Design Excellence Awards. In 2009, I was selected as one of the finalists at British Council’s Young Design Entrepreneur Awards. Why did you choose Toy Design as an entrepreneur? Any personal experience that triggered you to start PinkElefant? As a child I used to create my own toys and games. I had an inclination towards creative things and I found it to be my calling while perusing B.E. in electrical engineering. At the same time I started a company called ‘Dreamz Decorations’. My work then entailed window displays and organising birthday parties for kids in free time apart from engineering studies.  I always wanted to do something for children and then gradually discovered the lacuna in the toy industry. During that period in 2002, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, started a new discipline – Toy Design and Development. I got myself enrolled in 2003 and did my post-graduation in toy design. Could you also tell us about your services and products in detail?  We offer a wide variety of design/ business services to any kind and any size clients. Our services include: Product design Electrical Accessories, Lighting, Kitchen utensils, Children/baby products, Gifts, Stationary, Tableware, Bath accessories, and other everyday objects. Toy design Board Games, Jigsaw Puzzles, Craft/Activity Kits, Wooden/Stuffed Toys, Doll House, Promotional toys, Educational Aids. Graphics  Logo/stationary, Website, Illustrations, T-shirt graphics, Packaging, Posters, POP, Catalogues/brochures. Fashion Accessories, School Uniform, Theatre Costumes, installation design for fashion shows. Home decor Furniture, Kids Playroom, Lamps, Clocks, Dinnerware. Consumer Insight Design (CID) We designed “Green Play”, series of board games / puzzles, with an aim of imbibing environmental awareness in children. How many customers do you have? Tell us a bit about your clients. We have worked in multidisciplinary domains for various clients ranging from startups, SMEs, NGOs to well established global companies. We have been able to serve about 60 to 65 different companies so far. Within a period of 6 plus years, I have been able to design for quite a number of industries, helping them accelerate their business growth. My clients includes Disney, Hape – Germany, Kinder Joy – Italy, Royal King -Thailand, Esselte Corp. USA, Nokia, Plan strategies UK, Frank – India, Playgro – India, Ediots, India to name a few. How big is your team? We have a core team of 3 people; we work with a freelance artists and illustrators, vendors and manufacturers as and when required. Where are your toys available for sale? They are marketed by Pink Elefant in collaboration with Ediots. They are available at online shops and their launch is scheduled in India next month. We shall update the retailers list on our website soon. How does the revenue model work? Currently, our major revenue comes from design services. We have just entered in our own line of products, toys and clothing line. Revenue has just started from our clothing line – ‘ EDiOTS ’ which I have co-founded with my brother Bhushan. We are focussing on manufacturing of good quality products, setting up a supply chain and distribution network by exhibiting in International trade fairs like Frankfurt Ambiente and Germany Toy Fair. Are you looking at raising funds? Yes, we are looking to raise funds. Are you planning an e-commerce site for your toys? Yes, it’s in the pipeline. How do you see the design ecosystem evolve in India? It’s less evolved in India. However, there is plethora of quirky products available in the market since past 2 to 3 years. What are the three tips that you would like to give to budding design entrepreneurs in India? Do things only if you believe in them. Many of us think we are different but very few believe they can make a difference. Be a doer. Work for joy! How was the experience at YCE? YCE gave us the opportunity to reinvent ourselves; it gave us fuel to enhance our lacking areas. We are a family now. They invite us for all the events, be it a book launch or a talk by any renowned person. They facilitate us to connect with people from various domains to explore possibilities for newer collaborations. We would like to thank YCE team for creating such a wonderful platform for creative entrepreneurs like us. Do visit their website http://pinkelefant.in and let us know your feedback. You may also like to read: Abhijit Bansod, Studio ABD, a Bangalore based multi disciplinary design studio Design Unique Interiors with AKFD Studio Kaya Shewakramani, Founder, Kreating Keepsakes Design Studio

Tagged as: creative, creative entrepreneurs, pinkelefant

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