Mrs. Basumitra Ghosh Mukherjee, Incharge of CoE, FDDI Kolkata conducted a full day workshop on ‘Aspects of Design Thinking in Fashion Apparel and Accessories’ which was organized by The High Commission of India, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on 20th April 2024.
The workshop was conducted for the Tanzanian fashion designers, artisans and craftsmen at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), Dar es Salaam.
The SVCC, previously the Indian Cultural Centre, is the cultural wing of the High Commission of India under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) that focuses on the promotion and propagation of Indian art, culture and traditions.
The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. Soumya M Chavan, Second Secretary(Culture) and Director of ICCR Tanzania. This was followed by an inspiring speech by Dr. Jayasree Kumaresh, Second Secretary (Political), PA to the High Commissioner, Indian High Commission. It was attended by approximately 20 Tanzanian fashioner designers, accessories designers and Kitenge artisans of Dar es Salam apart from a few representatives from the Indian diaspora.
The workshop started with a brief presentation on FDDI where the course curriculums of FDDI were discussed and an overview of the career opportunities was given. A presentation on design thinking was delivered which was followed by a practical activity based on design thinking. This activity, coupled with the presentation, paved the way for the designers, to think in terms of a human centric approach while designing.
This activity session was an interactive one where the participants came up with unique ideas that justified their understanding of the aspects of Design Thinking. This was followed by an array of questions from the participants which threw light on the prevailing problems of sourcing quality raw materials, importance of Inspiration boards, mood boards and Fashion Forecasts, formation of clusters and importance of inter disciplinary knowledge sharing between various forms of art and design, among many. It was a whole day workshop which provided the knowledge and skills essential to thrive in the ever-evolving world of fashion.
The workshop that provided the participants with the knowledge and skills essential to thrive in the ever-evolving world of fashion has added a definite value towards the effort of exchange of knowledge with the upcoming Tanzanian fashion designing community as well as further strengthening ties in the bilateral relationship between India and Tanzania.
