Indu Choraria

Biography

Indu Choraria has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion from the Academy of Art College at San Francisco with a specialisation in knitwear. Her graduation collection ‘constructed circular knits’ used tubular seamfree knitting inspired by the human form.

Indu has designed womenswear in the cities of Bombay, Paris, San Francisco, Hong Kong and London, including work for Dorothee Bis and Mexx. Presently on the MA Design for Textile Futures programme at Central Saint Martins, she is exploring trans-disciplinary and sustainable approaches to fashion/textile design.

Final Project

Indu’s MA research is on co-design. Via interactive environments, tool kits and modifiable garments, users are empowered to adapt designs for their individual desires. Steering away from conventional fashion, this concept blurs the boundaries between designer and user.

As only what is desired is made, minimal inventories are required. Thus, the co-design process, beneficial to both customer and retailer, reduces waste.

To view some of Indu’s ideas, please visit http://www.design-hub.org

Zegna Baruffa have sponsored the yarns for Indu’s MA project. The development of her collection has been supported by Shima Seiki Europe Ltd.

Keywords

co-design, user experience, interaction, customisation, luxury, fashion, retail

Research Question

How can users be engaged in the design process of fashion and textiles?

Rationale & Context

This project is premised on the notion that the creative impulse is intrinsic to the human condition. With co-design, users take ownership of the process of creation, not just the product. Through the added value of personalisation and self-expression, co-design relates to users’ imagination and emotions.

‘The most creative thing a person will do twenty years from now is to be a very creative consumer … Namely, you'll be sitting there doing things like designing a suit of clothes for yourself or making modifications to a standard design ...’ (Toffler, 1980 p. 274).

The majority of people are not only buying readymade but also mass produced clothes and are not being ‘very creative consumers’ as envisioned. One of the reasons for this may be the lack of suitable avenues for individual users to participate in design.

By tapping into a wider range of inputs, co-design can enable new fashion and retail experiences.

Bibliography
Tofler, A. (1980) The Third Wave. New York: Bantam Books.

Material/ Technology

interaction design, wholegarment knitting, felting, digital printing

Images

Links

http://www.design-hub.org

Contact

e: indu@design-hub.org

m: +44 79 0420 6879