Shilpa Saviya
Shilpa Saviya
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Shilpa Saviya (Empowering Crafts) required us to design a 6-month program, in partnership with the National Craft Council Sri Lanka and Export Development Board, to equip traditional craft artisans with design skills to enter export markets.
25 artisans from across the island were paired with urban-based designers, who followed a four-stage program to co-create a new craft collection.
Stage1 : Artisan x designer pairings
Stage 2: Consumer research
Stage 3: Product design and development
Stage 4: Branding + launch
This project informed my practice in recognising power dynamics, facilitating equitable collaborations, systemic challenges when working with government and the necessity of long-term relationship building for impact.
Role: Project Lead, Program Design, Partnerships | 9 months
The program design was informed by consultations with senior members of the National Crafts Council, 10 site visits to artisans' workshops and a focus group discussion with designers.
Before each stage, the team conducted training workshops for the participants to provide methods and skills to guide the process.
The project team developed performance measures to evaluate participants, work plans to monitor progress and conducted regular feedback sessions.
The program concluded with a two-day showcase at a prominent venue in Colombo City, where several artisans sold out their limited collections.
The project was done along with Munira Mutaher for Colombo Design Market.
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