Weaving hope: Q&A with the IOU Project’s Kavita Parmar
One of the many personalized messages on the inside of an IOU Project piece. Photo: Shawn Brackbill
Source4Style sits down with Kavita Parmar, the founder and creative director of the IOU Project, which recently launched the DIY with IOU sustainable design competition in conjunction with Source4Style, Fab.com, ABC Home, Save the Garment Center and MADE in NYC. The IOU Project is an “an experiment to rethink how goods are produced and sold in a way that benefits everyone and protects the environment.” The process of designing and producing the collection involves designers who are aware of each stage of the production process, weaving and artisan cooperatives in Spain and India, and a fully traceable final piece in the hands of the customer.
Source4Style: You’ve been designing your own collections for awhile. Could you explain why you came together with your partners to create the IOU Project?
Kavita Parmar: This project grew out of my frustration as a designer with the current fashion system, which is focused on creating a lot of product with very short life-span and with little regard to the way it was made. The idea was to rethink the entire chain: to create a new one that allows goods to be produced and sold and serves everyone involved. It is sustainable for the artisan, the designer, the final consumer and not just a few at the top end. We like to call it the prosperity chain.
Iñigo and Kavita on a recent trip to New York to showcase the IOU Project at a trunk show. Photo: Shawn Brackbill
S4S: What is involved in the creation of an IOU garment?
KP: We had to go talk to everyone involved to understand their craft and their business model so that we could work with their skills and their needs so we could build something that worked for everyone involved. We traveled extensively in India and met every one of our 246 artisan families; talked to each and everyone of them about their dreams and aspirations, frustrations and limitations in order to understand and to explain the project to them. We did the same thing in Europe with our craftsman groups who are sometimes organized as either factories or as cooperatives. Our entire information system was built with these parameters to ensure that we allowed everything to be completely traceable. We felt that without guaranteeing full traceability we would not foster real collaboration.
“We had to go talk to everyone involved to understand their craft and their business model so that we could work with their skills and their needs so we could build something that worked for everyone involved. We traveled extensively in India and met every one of our 246 artisan families; talked to each and everyone of them about their dreams and aspirations, frustrations and limitations…”
S4S: It must have taken a long time to complete that task!
KP: It involved many sleepless nights, many travel miles, many idealistic dreams and discussions and many pots of coffee [laughing].
S4S: How has the project been received by members of the artisan communities in Spain and India?
KP: With a lot of enthusiasm, which I believe has been a big reason for its success. Ours is not just a simple, new way of producing; we had to undo a lot of methods built over the last few decades where emphasis had been on making more stuff, more cheaply. Our needs were the opposite sometimes, making things unique, well crafted and of course we wanted to make sure there was FULL TRACEABILITY. But they understand our goals and completely share our philosophy. Once we explained our reasoning, they were willing to go out of their way to make things happen as they themselves saw the need to change things.
The IOU Project helps you meet the maker of the handwoven madras. Photo: Shawn Brackbill
S4S: You’ve met much success in the marketplace because in a way – you are reinventing traceability with your unique way of communicating it online. From a personal standpoint, how have customers – who were previously far-removed from the production process – responding to the philosophy of the IOU Project?
KP: The response has been incredible; really warm, emotional and personal. It is clear we have touched a chord. The IOU Project has had over 250,000 blog entries worldwide in the three months that we have been alive.
S4S: Have you been satisfied with the outcomes of the project?
KP: Overwhelmed and humbled at the same time. We have been alive since mid-May 2010 and we have received thousands of e-mails from individuals, organizations and companies all very supportive and very interested in seeing this initiative flourish. Some have completely surprised us, like an 8th grader from San Francisco who offered to work for us for free, or and invitation by the UN to present the project to their directives from various UN agencies at the UNSSC conference in Torino.
I am happy with how things have turned out, but as a perfectionist I still have things that I would love to tweak and without any doubt we have a long way to go. There are so many artisan groups around the world with beautiful things to offer that I would love to work with.
We had always envisioned this to be a open platform where other designer and brands can get involved and create by keeping our goals of using design and technology to provide transparency and traceability in a product to the consumer.
S4S: Where are the materials used for the pieces made through this project sourced from?
KP: The base materials are from Madras, India for the madras checks, the denim is dyed with authentic indigo from Kohzu, Japan and the organic twill is from Hellenic in Greece. We are now working with cashmere yarn from northern Nepal and tweed from England for winter.
Authentic indigo-dyed denim from Kohzu, Japan. Photo: Shawn Brackbill
S4S: And the unique and traceable madras will be available online on the Source4Style marketplace come March 2012 for all designers to access.
KP: Yes, absolutely. We all felt it necessary to involve all designers in the process as part of the DIY with IOU sustainable design competition. It’s a great way for everyone to participate in transparency along the supply chain.
S4S: We’re glad to facilitate that as well.
KP: Well I think that IOWEYOU and Source4Style have a shared vision of opening up the transparency of fashion supply chains. The question of where are your clothes made and under what conditions are increasingly relevant. The contest is a fashion-forward way to bring attention to the growing sustainable fashion movement.
“Well I think that IOWEYOU and Source4Style have a shared vision of opening up the transparency of fashion supply chains. The question of where are your clothes made and under what conditions are increasingly relevant. The contest [DIY with IOU] is a fashion-forward way to bring attention to the growing sustainable fashion movement.”
S4S: Let’s go back to the uniqueness of your collection. Talk about how each piece is one-of-a-kind.
KP: Every madras piece is one of a kind as we only cut one of each style from the 8 meter length the weaver makes of each pattern. The denim jeans and the chinos are unique in that all the leftover madras is used for detailing, which means no two end up alike. We love the idea that we can create one-of-a-kind pieces in such large quantities, highlighting and promoting this idea of celebrating uniqueness.
S4S: How does this collaboration affect the traditions and ways of life of the artisan weavers and the communities involved?
KP: We are helping them open up another market. They have been struggling to compete with machine-made goods in their traditional markets. We do not interfere with their traditional weaving or design processes, but take the fabrics they make and then design the pieces and the final garment in Europe. This converts them into beautifully crafted pieces that can be modern and classic at the same time and easily find a place in today’s wardrobe. This is also a new lease on life for our European craftsmen as they have shut down factories since production was being moved to the far-east to save on cost. This collaboration allows them to produce unique pieces and still be at competitive price points.
Close-up of the detailed stitching in the IOU Project chino. Photo: Shawn Brackbill
S4S: With consumers increasingly wanting to know where their clothes and shoes come from you, do you think that interest and appreciation for artisan objects, such as these, will grow?
KP: I have no doubt about that. I think the search for authenticity in this world that is full of mass, machine-made product offers is what cause consumers to increasingly ask those questions. They have the tools available with the technology of today to find out and share things they like within their sphere of influence. That is very powerful.
S4s: Do you think designer involvement is necessary for these pieces to be appealing to a wider and more homogenized market? To what degree?
KP: I think a designer who thinks about BIG design and not just making things look good, adds huge value. They help the artisan create a product that is current with modern aesthetics, while learning a lot of about the craft from the artisan. I think this is a win-win situation for both. I disagree with the future or even the current market becoming homogenized, as I truly believe that we will see that the future is all about the individual and highly personalized product. Technology helps us express this very human need.
“I think a designer who thinks about BIG design and not just making things look good, adds huge value. They help the artisan create a product that is current with modern aesthetics, while learning a lot of about the craft from the artisan.”
S4S: How have the artisanal communities in India and Spain ensured that their skills and products do not become commodities and are truly cherished for the labor and knowledge put into them?
KP: The only way forward is to ensure that the uniqueness and authenticity of a well-crafted piece is preserved is by adhering to the highest quality standards that any real artisan who has pride in his work has always followed. Using technology and social media to tell the story truthfully helps create awareness in the consumer without doubt. Our products are made with a very different goal in mind, to not be mass produced but in fact to create millions of unique pieces, which are difficult to turn into a commodity.
S4S: What kind of production infrastructure have you had to develop within these artisan communities in order to efficiently produce pieces for global consumption?
KP: The amazing part is that they are really efficient and have always been so and are able to produce easily for global consumption just by a different set of standards. Our industry pursued mass production through industrial methods as it increased profit for a few, but if we take that out of the equation and turn it on its head and state our goal to be unique, beautiful, hand-made products, the infrastructure is already in place. All it needed was the help of technology to make it completely traceable and of course to bring it to every desktop at the click of a button. The exciting part is that we are living that revolution of information over industrial.
S4S: What kinds of skills are members of this artisan community provided with in order to organize themselves in an efficient manner? Are they taught business skills or management of financial capital in order for them to set up their own business organization?
KP: The artisan groups that we are working with are already organized as cooperatives. In India the cooperative was set up in 1935 so it has an incredible history and a clear understanding of business. The problem has been that they could not play by the rules of the industrial mass production market, as they cannot make the same product over and over again. Machines won that game hands down.
Iñigo holds one of the brightly colored madras created by handweavers in Madras, India. Photo: Shawn Brackbill
We are working in India with NGO / Be Fund who are helping us set up a entrepreneurial fund for the weavers where we pay out an extra dollar per piece sold so that they can use it to seed social businesses that help their village. There they are being coached by the NGO, which specializes in teaching wise investment skills.
S4S: How has the online platform created by IOWEYOU impacted the world of artisan work and handcrafts?
KP: It has highlighted the work of the artisan. In fashion the most the consumer knows is the brand name on the label or the shop they bought it at. It is fundamental to bring forth the people and the time it takes them to make each piece in order to foster responsible consumption. We make a lot of videos, films and of course take pictures of the entire process to share with the consumer through our site. Each piece can be tracked back to the particular artisan who made it. There is an emotional link created which I think turns it into an experience and not just another piece of mass produced clothing. The consumer is encouraged to take a picture and put it up on the site to complete the story. Then the artisans can see who bought the piece made by them.
This is the basis of our social network platform. We believe that clothes should be made in a way that is responsible towards the environment and respectful of the people involved. We believe in consumer right to verify authenticity and we believe consumers enjoy meeting other people who think like them.
“In fashion the most the consumer knows is the brand name on the label or the shop they bought it at. It is fundamental to bring forth the people and the time it takes them to make each piece in order to foster responsible consumption.”
S4S: How can rural craft communities set up, manage and utilize online delivery systems?
KP: I think the idea here is that each part does what they do best and collaborate to bring a product / experience to the market that is truly authentic and unique, adding value. With the internet we see collaboration between artisan groups in different parts of the world easier and more plausible.
S4S: How has the speed of digital communication and product promotion contributed to the growth and promotion of crafts and artisan work?
KP: I think it has taken away a lot of the lag time and made it more efficient to get products to the marketplace and tell their stories. It allows for the process to be leaner and removes a lot of the traditional middle-men that add no real value in today’s marketplace.
S4S: Do you believe that artisan craft communities can adopt small business infrastructures with digital supply lines in order to compete with fashion and textile products from around the world?
KP: Absolutely. It has already happened in music and I think in fashion, where it is all about expressing ones personal style and individuality, it makes perfect sense. I think the IOU Project is a case in point and hopefully will become a facilitator for many of those communities.
S4S: What is on the horizon for the IOU project?
KP: Currently I want to increase production from the 246 weaving families to the 20,000 weaving families that are part of the same cooperative. We are also in various stages of research and development with other artisan groups around the globe that we intend to launch products with in the near future. The plan is to truly turn this into a mass market revolution so that it can affect the lives of many and not just a few.
“I want to increase production from the 246 weaving families to the 20,000 weaving families that are part of the same cooperative…The plan is to truly turn this into a mass market revolution so that it can affect the lives of many and not just a few.”
S4S: Do you let fashion trends influence the collections that you present?
KP: We do not follow trends. My focus is to create an authentic, beautifully crafted product. We are putting up new products on the site nearly once every two weeks and we do not follow the traditional market logic of trends or seasons as that would enslave our artisan communities to work by time standards that are unreal and have repeatedly failed in the past. However, here is no doubt that hand-crafts are a big trend at the moment, which makes us very glad.
S4s: What does the future of artisan communities and handcrafts look like in your opinion?
KP: I believe that we can use technology to help preserve these incredible craft traditions that are struggling and disappearing. I notice that this worldwide crisis has slightly awakened us towards realizing that we live on a planet with finite resources, we all affect each other, and hence we have to be very aware of each other and act with respect. That is the only way forward to some sort of equilibrium that we desperately need. The good news is that there are a lot of young people who are once again interested in learning these crafts and carrying this forward.
S4s: Thanks again Kavita for your time and inspiration. We are thrilled to be partnering with you on the DIY with IOU competition – and look forward to what you create along the way.
KP: Thank you! ♥
For more information on participating on the DIY with IOU project, click here. Final days for portfolio submissions are due on February 24, 2012.
Each piece made by the IOU Project is completely unique and traceable. Photo: Shawn Brackbill
