INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT BATCH: 2016-20
PRANSHRI GUPTA FABINDIA OVERSEAS PVT. LTD.
DEPARTMENT OF FASHION COMMUNICATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY RAE BARELI
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The success and final outcome of this industry internship required a lot of guidance and assistance from many people and I am extremely privileged to have got this all along the completion of my project. All that I have done is only due to such supervision and assistance and I would not forget to thank them. I respect and thank my industry mentor, Ms. Prableen Sabhaney, for providing me an opportunity to intern at Fabindia Overseas Pvt Ltd and giving me all the support and guidance which made me complete the projects duly. I am extremely greatful to her for the same, although she had a busy schedule managing the corporate affairs. I owe my deep gratitude to my internship guide, Mr Akhilendra Pratap Sonkar, who as my course coordinator and academic mentor, took a keen interest in my internship and guided me all along, till the completion of my internship work by providing all the necessary information for developing a good system. Last but not the least, I heartily thank Dr Bharat Sah (Director, NIFT Rae Bareli) for his continuous efforts in the development of the institute and for providing greater exposure and better facilities to the students. I am thankful to and fortunate enough to get constant encouragement, support and guidance from all teaching staff of the Department of Fashion Communication which helped me in successful completion of my internship.
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Ms Pranshri Gupta pursuing the Bachelors of Design (2016-20) under the Department of Fashion Communication has been evaluated for her industry internship report. She has duly fulfilled all the requirements set by the institute and the evaluation jury. Her work has been found satisfactory.
Mr Akhilendra Pratap Sonkar Course Coordinator
Mr Akhilendra Pratap Sonkar Academic Mentor
Department of Fashion Communication
Copyright @2019 NIFT Al rights reserved. No part of this document covered by the copyright here on may be produced or used in any means, either graphics, electronics or mechanical including photocopying, recording without the permission of the copyright owner. National Institute of Fashion Technology, Doorbhash Nagar, ITI Colony, Rae Bareli Design and Layout by: Pranshri Gupta
DECLARATION
I, PRANSHRI GUPTA, hereby declare that the internship project submitted towards the partial fulfillment of the Bachelors of Design degree in the department of Fashion Communication is my original work. No part of this report has been copied from any other report or projects, belonging to another individual or group, that has been submitted for any other degree or award. All materials featured in the report that have been taken or inspired from other sources have been suitably refereed and acknowledged.
Pranshri Gupta Batch: 2016-20 Bachelors of Design Fashion Communication Dt: 23.08.19 Rae Bareli
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Industry internship is an essential part of the National Institute of Fashion Technology’s curriculum. As an academic intern, the students learn the finer facets and nuances of the working of the fashion industry. It also allows students to harness the skills, knowledge, and theoretical practice they learnt in college as part of their day to day learning. The objective of this internship was to study the various segments of an organisation and understand how the different departments work together for a successful brand. The industry internship also provides valuable insight on the procedural analysis of varied departments as well as the operational breakdowns. The purpose of 8 weeks spent at Fabindia Overseas Pvt Ltd. interning under the Brand and Marketing department was to understand in depth the process flow of the various sub departments within the Brand and Marketing department and how they together form the backbone of the esteemed organization.
Content Table 01
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32 46 48 50
Industry Profile Introduction Brand Vision and Mission Brand history and Growth Business Structure and Artisan Communities Case Study: Thinking Beyond
Organizational Structure Hierarchy PSC Study of Organizational Divisions Brand and Marketing Department
Products and Services Product categorization Product range Annual Collections Merger with organic India Fabfamily Fabcafe The Fabindia Schools Experience Centres
Projects undertaken Learning Conclusion References
01
Industry Profile
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
Fabindia (or Fabindia Overseas Pvt. Ltd.) is an Indian chain store retailing garments, furnishings, fabrics and ethnic products handmade by craftspeople across rural India. Established in 1960 by John Bissell, an American working for the Ford Foundation, New Delhi, Fabindia started out exporting home furnishings, before stepping into domestic retail in 1976, when it opened its first retail store in Greater Kailash, New Delhi. Fabindia's products are natural, craft based, contemporary, and affordable. Today with 306 stores across 101 cities in India and 13 international stores, Fabindia Overseas Private Limited is India’s largest retail platform for a wide range of products produced by artisans living largely in rural areas. The products of Fabindia are mainly sourced from villages helping to provide and sustain rural employment in India. The legacy of the brand rests in private platform for products that are made from traditional techniques, skills and hand-based processes linking over 55,000 craft based rural producers to modern urban markets, thereby creating a base for skilled, sustainable rural employment, and preserving India's traditional handicrafts in the process.
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"In addition to making profits, our aims are constant development of new products, a fair, equitable and helpful relationship with our producers, and the maintenance of quality on which our reputation rests." John Bissell
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
Brand Vision
Brand History and Growth
According to the Fabindia’s official website, the organization's brand vision is:
Fabindia began its India sojourn back in 1960 when John Bissell, who was first introduced to the country in 1958 while on a two-year grant from the Ford Foundation, decided to set up an export shop to sell home furnishings to overseas customers. Bissell’s work at the foundation involved advising government-based craft organizations on handloom fabrics. As Bissel spent a lot of time traversing the length and breadth of the country, he believed more and more in the emerging Indian textile industry and was determined to showcase Indian handloom textiles as a way to provide employment to traditional artisans. Fabindia was thus setup as an export house with a wide scale distribution network in the United States, supplying products to small retailers, including mom-and-pop shops.
“At Fabindia we celebrate India, and endeavour to bring all that we love about India to customers around the world.” Time and again Fabindia has proved its dedication towards India’s cultural landscape not only by bringing the country’s rich craft to the forefront, but also supporting the artisan community all along.
Brand Mission Fabindia follows statements:
the
following
mission
We will harness the transformative power of a well-run business committed to profitable growth in support of Fabindia’s Vision.
We will strengthen and support our community of customers, designers, artisans, farmers, makers and entrepreneurs inspired by India.
We will give our customers products that delight them by interpreting our rich heritage and traditional knowledge, while protecting the natural environment.
Fabindia, as a brand, has achieved two broad goals: to market the handloom tradition of India to the rest of the world and to provide employment to artisans in rural areas. The brand’s philosophy is constructed enable social change at the grassroots level while engaging in a profit-making business for urban shoppers. At Fabindia, a large proportion of products carry some element of the handmade, which requires an ability to communicate with artisans and institute quality control as most artisans work largely in India’s hinterland.
In 1976, Fabindia decided to expand its business format of an export house into retail to cater to a growing next generation audience that preferred retail stores for shopping. This was done through a small store that sold leftovers from export orders in Delhi’s tony market of Greater Kailash. Over the next two decades Fabindia, emerged as a successful retail business in India, with 111 retail outlets within the country and 6 abroad. Fabindia added its non-textile range in 2000, organic foods in 2004, followed by personal care products in 2006, finally it launched its range of Handcrafted Jewellery in 2008.Fabindia's retail expansion plans started taking shape 2004 onwards. In 2013, Fabindia purchased a 40% stake in the Lucknow-based organic food and supplements company, India Organic. Today, fifty years later since its inception, Fabindia, managed by John’s son William Bissell, is a widely recognized global brand, known for handwoven and hand- made goods that connect some 55,000 artisans from the country to consumers worldwide.
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"I am a great believer of community socialism."
William Bissell
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
On Fabindia’s Ideals, Business format and Retail Innovation An interactive session with William Bissel
When Fabindia began its journey into the world of Indian craft, it was a thriving export house with an extensive network , good clients to do business with and a fairly profitable export business. There was no need to expand. Fifty years later, it is the country’s largest retail chain with good presence overseas and a rich legacy behind it. In the interim of my internship, the Fabindia headquarters was visited by the student circle of the Indian Summer School program, a summer program to give the student body a gist of India’s best. For the same an interaction session was organized where Mr. Bissel addressed the session. Back in the old days when Fabindia was headed by Mr John Bissel, the organization tasted success but lacked a name. Often the products were sold under someone’s name whoever was the final trader. In the 70s though, the Indian landscape changed. William, still young then, identified it to be the right time to set the stage for branding. He predicted that retail would be huge in India and decided to expand the organization’s format from just an export to a retail. In 1991 retail boomed in India and Fabindia had a major retail profit. The branding culture thrived with a set of new generation of brand specific shoppers and Fabindia was among the firsts to ‘sell’ the brand and not just the product. Another such prediction was that health and wellness will boost in the country and Fabindia consciously bought 40% stakes in Organic India which again, in future, proved to be a massive success. But the motivation was barely just success in the
retail business. It was to build a network that would benefit the artisans. For the same, Fabindia works with three kinds of sources for all its craft production: Commercial (includes artisan-oriented craftbased private companies) Cooperatives (includes craft-based NGOs that are partially supported by Fabindia) Community owned company (craft cluster communities financially backed by Fabindia. This includes 80 artisan communities across the country) Mr. Bissel is a great believer of the empowerment of the artisans and for the same the Community owned company idea was implemented where even the company board is formed by the community itself and all of Fabindia’s CSR profits are equally distributed. Fabindia interaction with these artisans is very localized. In addition, Fabindia uses its 11 production hubs across the country, which are basically aggregation points, to centralize orders and pair up vendors with artisans. Each hub has a number of field offices attached to it which basically act as nodal points for interaction with the artisans that constitute the supply chain, which is one of the most unique in the world.
The earlier and now discontinues SRC business model too became a subject of great appreciation and a Harvard case study. Mr. Bissel’s constant need for retail innovation and forward thinking proved to be a boon for Fabindia which today is introducing a yet new retail format in the country– the experience centres. How does a brand like this survive in the age of fast fashion brands? Mr. Bissel’s answer was simple. “We create a 100 unique reasons for the customers to come and shop with us. We offer the experience. We are not a fashion brand after all. We are in the business of fashion.” PAGE 6
02
Organization Structure
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
One of the objectives of the internships has been to study and understand the structure of the organisation. Fabindia is a retail corporate with a large number of departments and employing upto 400 employees. Each department is significant and contributes immensely to the brand’s overall growth and innovation. As part of my internship I got a chance to deeply study the purpose and the operational breakdown of each of these departments and how they all work together to form Fabindia.
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Lighting and Giftware
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RVM
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Study of Organization Divisions
A company’s organizational structure defines the hierarchy in the organization. It identifies each job, its function and where it reports to in the organization. Organizational structure affects organizational action and provides the foundation on which standard operating procedures and routines rest. It determines which individuals get to participate in which decision-making processes, and thus to what extent their views shape the organization’s actions. At Fabindia, this distinction is clear, precise and marked via department location as well. Each department acts as an organ that together with the others works to deliver to its customers a good product, experience as well as a reason to shop again. While the PSC sits with the export team, Supply Chain Management has an entire floor of sub-departments teeming with merchandisers and vested in sampling, stocking, quality checks, retail, etc. All category departments have monthly meetings with members of the brand and marketing department. Also, to ensure constant progress, each month each sub-department within each department is required to give a presentation on all activities done throughout the month and the result of it. This is done in front of the rest of the department as well as the director for healthy feedbacks and interactions. To reward employee efforts, a points tab is maintained. For every achievement points are added to the employee’s tab and he or she is rewarded accordingly, sometimes even with promotions. Inside each department, all employees are further classified into two categories, M1 and M2, irrespective of their original designation. This is done on the basis of experience. The salaries are decided accordingly.
Human Resources & Training This department responsible for managing resources related to employees. Major functions of the HR department include Recruiting and staffing Compensation and benefits Training and learning Labor and employee relations Organization development At Fabindia each of the department’s employee caters specifically to the need of a particular department.
Brand and Marketing As the name suggests the Brand and Marketing department is responsible for handling all the brand building and marketing profiles and takes care as all the forms of brand communication across all channels as well as customer targeting and segmentation and data analysis.
Auditor The department is responsible for reviewing the accounts of companies and organizations to ensure the validity and legality of their financial records. The department also assumes an advisory role to recommend possible risk aversion measures and cost savings that could be made. Their other functions include:
collating, checking and analyzing spreadsheet data
examining company accounts and financial control systems
preparing reports, financial statements
commentaries
and
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
Information Technology
Finance and Legal
The information technology department in an organization is responsible for the architecture, hardware, software and networking of computers in the company. The IT department performs a number of duties to ensure that employees have full access to the computer systems. This includes providing technical support like installing new software, repairing hardware problems, installing new hardware, troubleshooting problems and training employees how to use new software programs. Professionals working in the department are also responsible for work areas such as programming, website updates or technical support.
As the name suggests the Finance and Legal department takes care of all the financial and legal operations in Fabindia. It also works as an intermittent advisor to the other departments that might need its help from time to time for framing contracts, drawing terms and conditions, and making forms, etc.
At Fabindia, a section of the IT department works with the E-commerce team to manage everything related to Fabindia’s official website.
Supply Chain Management Supply chain management is the management of the flow of goods and services and includes all processes that transform raw materials into final products. It involves the active streamlining of a business's supply-side activities to maximize customer value and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Major functions of the supply chain department include:
Managing artisan communities Ensuring stock quantity and maintaining stock schedule. Sampling and maintaining an account of stocks from different clusters/ communities. Sourcing premium quality raw materials at budget prices and ensuring the materials, in right quantities, reach the artisans as per the schedule. The supply chain manager tries to minimize shortages and keep costs down. Ensuring effective flow of goods through the supply chain. Ensuring working standards among the artisan community.
Other functions include the following: Bookkeeping and Payables/Receivables Financial Reporting and Control Managing tax and treasury managing the organization's financial relationship with shareholders, lenders, regulators and the tax authorities. drafting and negotiating contracts and agreements providing management with effective legal advice on business issues and company strategies.
Market Development Officer The Market Development Officer or the MDO team at Fabindia is responsible for developing a particular market segment for a company. Its chief responsibilities are: Assist with developing the market for client or company. Focus on growing existing accounts and acquiring new clients. Generate and describe creative, resultsfocused marketing concepts to a diverse client base. Evaluate demographics, prices, distribution channels, and marketing outlets. Develop sales strategies Conduct secondary research using advanced statistical analysis and research methodologies
Fabindia is known for its transparent supply chain system which today is an official Harvard Business School’s case study. PAGE 14
Personal Care
Home and Lifestyle
The Personal Care department is a relatively new department having been started only on 2006 to enter into the growing personal care and wellness segment of the Indian market. Personal care contributes to 3% of the overall sales.
The home and lifestyle department is another major department in Fabindia. Structurally, it is divided into three sub-departments:
Subsections of this department includes skincare, body care, bath, aroma therapy, face and Organic India. Fabindia promotes its personal care range as Ayurvedic, organic, and cruelty-free. After it’s acquisition of Organic India, Fabindia further forayed into the profitable category with its new range of vegan foods, herbs, Ayurvedic supplements etc. The department is currently planning a rebranding exercise with renewed communication story and packaging to cater to a wider segment.
Apparel One of the oldest department of Fabindia and also the most profitable (contributing to 40% of the overall sales) the apparel department is divided in four sub-departments:
Apparel Men Apparel Women Infants and kids Garment Accessories
The department though, has a common design and sampling board wherein the process inception for each collection or line takes place. Trend study is done and colors are chosen for the season according to which swatches are decided and eventually the patterns and motifs. After the design brief is decided, the details are dispatched to the artisans from the headquarters to the regional offices. The department works in conjugation with the Brand and Marketing department for all promotional briefs, communication story, press releases and events.
Soft goods Hard goods Lighting and décor
The department has a common design and sampling team and the creative process works the same way as in case of apparels.
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
Product Selection Committee
PSC or the Product Selection Committee is a body of members whose main role is to maintain product quality and thus, Fabindia’s standards in all products, across all categories. PSC is the bridge between Fabindia’s artisans and design departments of different categories at Fabindia headquarters. Besides this, the PSC undertakes the following responsibilities.
Certify stock quantity and quality. Categorizes and segregates garments, accessories for Fabindia’s different store formats on the basis of Availability Accessibility Techniques Number of product pieces
Forward the collection briefs of different collections to the brand and marketing team for promotions, campaign designs and/or social media posts. The collection brief includes designs, color palette, theme and inspiration for the collection. Decides the cost price of the product depending upon the production cost, time taken, availability, etc. A segment of PSC works with the customer care team responsible for handling the store operations for addressing customer grievances relating to quality issues. PSC closely works with the design team of different product departments.
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The Brand and Marketing Department
Branding is a concept that extends far beyond the marketing of “brand name” designer jeans and other products. A company’s brand represents their market identity—who they are, what they do, what kind of quality they provide, their reputation for trustworthiness, and more. Consequently, brand and marketing are important to nearly every business. At Fabindia, the department plays a multitude of roles. The Brand and Marketing, with a staff of 45 members and 12 sub-departments under it, has a unique link with each of the other departments in the organization. Each sub-department works with different departments to handle a variety of tasks responsible for day to day function of Fabindia. The department thus, forms the backbone of the corporate giant. Some of the major jobs of this department are:
Handling all kinds of communication (this includes strategizing, designing and approving of communication channels in accordance with other departments) across different channels.
Coordinating with different departments to design an advertising/marketing strategy for them.
Handling budgets for all kinds of advertising, promotions and marketing.
Organizing events, workshops, promotional ventures for customer engagement and creating brand value.
Take care of all customer related queries and grievances.
Collecting and storing information on customers for better targeting, customization and data analysis.
The department is divided into the following sub-departments, each specific to the type of information it handles, the channel of communication as well as the section it handles. PR and Communications Digital marketing Retail market and analysis Events and Advertising Category managers Category manager home and lifestyle E-commerce Visual Merchandizing CLP Graphic studio Head of creatives
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
Digital Marketing The digital marketing department at Fabindia is a team of three that caters to digital campaigns, social media handling, organizing events (if required) specific to digital marketing campaigns, digital interaction, and identifying digital influencers and marketing through the same. The department is fairly new, having being set up only 2 years back before which the brand had organic reach. All the hashtags used for social media posts are predicted by outsourced agencies annually which are then used for an entire year.
Collection brief/ Campaign brief The PSC team shares its requirements with the department. This brief includes collection designs, palettes, theme and product range.
Communication Design The department brainstorms a line of communication, comes up with keywords/key frames and forwards the requirements to the agency.
Inside the Agency The agency comes up with sample communication ideas along with suggestions for visuals– both graphics and if required, shoots.
First Draft The department evaluates and chooses from one of these samples. Additional suggestions are forwarded back to the agency.
Final Draft The agency designs the final design and forwards it to the department which forwards it to the department whose collection it was.
Retail Concepts and Analysis This department consists of a team of 6 members with the area of focus being regional markets and customer care services pertaining to store operations only. The B2C format department has an online team that tries to gain customer insights via close-ended communication channels like mailers, visitor’s book and tab (CRM) as well as open-ended channels like a telephonic conversation. The list of grievances addressed include issues with product quality (works alongside PSC), Exchanges, gift vouchers, staff services and shopping experience. The various regional markets are: MR01, MR02 for North MR03 for the East MR04 for Karnataka and Goa MR05 for Tamil Nadu MR06 for Maharashtra MR10 for Gujrat MR14 for AP and Telangana
Customer Service The service is provided on the basis of the interference: Open-ended responses Close-ended responses
Addressing Grievances The department handles all the issues pertaining to store operations. In case of specific issues it forwards the query to the relevant person.
Resolving The department strives to improve customer experience in the process. This can be done via free vouchers, gift tokens, appreciation points, etc.
Maintaining Standards All the issues encountered are taken into consideration and mended upon immediately as per the market region.
Data Collection & Analysis At the end of the customer interaction irrespective of the kind, the responses are noted and the data is analyzed for improving the service.
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Customer Loyalty Program The Customer Loyalty Program or the Fab family initiative of Fabindia that rewards its loyal customers as well as provide multiple number of benefits for its new and non-frequent customers. The department was started 2 years back as part of William Bissel’s vision for a new age of new retail. The department is divided into two categories, CSM and CRM (Client Relationship Management). A team of 3 handle the day to day operations of CLP. The department works with Retail concepts and Analysis department for customer assistance and rewards. CLP department is allotted with its own budget with which it works with multiple external agencies for consumer data analysis, campaign targeting, creating user surveys and feedback forms, deciding upon the target market segments for different events and promotional activities organized by any other department within Brand and Marketing, brainstorming new methods for customer engagement in a retail environment, coming up with customer schemes and vouchers, and addressing customer grievances.
Visual Merchandizing The VM department of Fabindia is responsible establishing and creating standard VM guidelines to be followed across all Fabindia stores pan India and abroad. The department consists to a team of 3 along with the regional VM managers all over the country. The department is responsible for trend researching and catering to all store props, window display, Collaterals (including standees, signages, price points, etc.), Instore display (including wall elements, colour sequence, signages) as well as addressing requirements for hoardings, billboards, magazines, etc. Since Fabindia stores come in three different retail formats i.e. flagship, artisanal and premium, the VM guidelines for each type is different and in accordance with the regional market. The department caters to all stores India wide hence care is taken to adapt the VM as per the region.
Data Collection The department plays a key role in consumer data collection pan India via their purchase history, brand interactions and grievances addressal
Analysis CSM coordinates between external agencies and the organization by forwarding the collected data and retrieving the insights.
Targeting Data from CSM is used by sub departments for setting target segments for campaigns, workshops,etc.
Customer Service CRM works to address customer grievances while the result of previous campaign’s targeting is collected and analyzed to improve the service
Feedback The department works with customer feedbacks through mailers, surveys, forms and newsletters to educate the customers of new benefits
New store guide A manual of general instructions is sent out to the new store for all finishing and construction
Store Format Instore VM is decide as per the store format and region
Props, signages All requirements of the elements of VM are addressed and guided samples are sent over with example for store setting.
Upgradation The VM is changed twice a year as per the seasons. Trends and color stories are decided for the same.
Design All graphics and visuals are outsourced.
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Graphic Studio The graphic studio is a team of 8. They work with inhouse graphic designers to craft all kinds of posters, banners, hoardings, flyers, etc. The studio is responsible for all kinds of print media. It works with the VM team to caters to in-store print elements– from pamphlets to signages. It also caters to all in-house product shoot requirements by providing suitable backdrops.
Collection brief/ Campaign brief The department receives work brief from any department that requires its assistance.
Design The department then coordinate with the organization’s in-house team of graphic designers. to create sample visuals.
First Draft Samples are created and are evaluated by the concerned department
Print All printing requirements– GSM, canvas size, texture and finish– is chosen and decided by the graphic studio.
Final Copy.
E-Commerce The department is responsible for managing and updating the official website of Fabindia as well as all the digital services provided by the brand. Apart from handling all web based operations, a major role of the department is to constantly update the products on the website. Thus the department is responsible for allotting, scheduling and assisting product shoots for general web product displays or as a part of a collection. Constantly studying the changing consumer database and targeting ads accordingly is another key role of the department.
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The final copy is sent over to the concerned department which in turn forwards it to the regional market from where the demand came.
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Customer Service
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All online queries are passes to the relevant person
Updation All new products and collections are added to the website by the team
Web Banners The department works with in house designers to make banners and ads suitable for web.
Targeted ads The ads are shown to relevant customers through researched targeting.
Newsletters The e-commerce team is responsible for maintaining the mailing list.
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Category Manager: Apparel A Category Manager of Apparels in Fabindia is the link between the Apparel departments and the Brand and Marketing Department. This is an important role because while the Apparels department takes care of the garment construction and finishing, the Category Manager along with the Creative Head of Apparels and other sub departments of B&M takes care that the finished product sells. In case of apparels, the post is divided into two: Category Manager Women Apparel Category Manager Men Apparel Their chief functions include pitching, managing and organizing events and workshops for apparels, working with PR for press releases/ collection notes, handling promotional budgets for the respective department, working with Creatives Head for photoshoots, deciding and managing campaigns.
Category Manager: Personal Care A Category Manager of Personal Care in Fabindia is the link between the Personal Care and Organics department and the Brand and Marketing Department. The role of the Category Manager of Personal Care is similar to that of the apparel department except that this fairly new department lacks a creative head hence all creative aspects like photoshoots, social media campaigns, poster designs and product visual displays are managed by the Category Manager as well apaart from all the functions listed above.
Department Requirement Category Manager assesses the requirement and holds discussion with the department head over preferences on communication, visuals, etc
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Visuals and Copy
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Visuals are brainstormed with the creative team.
Getting People Onboard All hiring for the campaigns like photographers, graphic designers, creative agency is done.
Budget Budget is decided and forwarded for approval within which all hiring and promotions are done
Promotions Once the look is finalized, communication channels are decided.
Department Requirement Category Manager assesses the requirement and holds discussion with the department head over preferences on communication, visuals, etc
Creatives Planning Visuals are planned and accordingly photoshoots are done or an image store is used.
Art Direction and Design
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All the aspects of design and visuals are managed by the Category Manager.
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Getting People Onboard and deciding the budget
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Promotions All promotional activities are managed by the Category Manager, executed by a relevant department, in conjugation with the category head.
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Department Requirement
Category Manager: Home and Lifestyle
Category Manager assesses the requirement. They cater to each of the sub divisions separately i.e. softgoods, hardgoods and lighting.
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A Category Manager of Home and Lifestyle in Fabindia is the link between the Home and Lifestyle department and the Brand and Marketing Department.
Budget Budget is decided within which all hiring and promotions are done
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All functions of the Category Manager of Home and Lifestyle are similar to that of the other category managers except the fact that this profile has additional responsibilities. The Category Manager of Home and Lifestyle is responsible for handling all sponsorship requests for Fabindia, approving and if needed, modifying the budget proposals from all creative heads and category managers, coordinating between external advertising agencies alongside the events and marketing department, meeting all media houses and publications, give final approvals on all print collaterals/ digital collaterals and handle all kinds of celebrity endorsements, giving approval for content for all modes of communication (SMS, emailers, instagram, magazine, sponsorships, events, ads) testimonials and the expenditure for the same.
PR and Communications The department is a team of 4 which includes a senior executive and two in-house copywriters apart from the head. Additionally the department works with a number of external agencies (80DB being the biggest) for notifications and data analysis.
There is a PR target for each year that needs to be achieved and is measured in PR Value. Here’s how the PR value is calculated: Story/ mention ad value *3 Brand name plus picture *4 Editorial/ Story that is brand centric plus content *5
The PR queries are segregated under categories: Wires for press release Tentative publications Magazine publications Adverts Web publications Listicles Tabloids Financial publications The magazine sendouts are monthly and planned. The rest of the publications keep touch with the PR agency.
Getting People Onboard All hiring for the campaigns like photographers, graphic designers, creative agency is done.
Promotions
3
Once finalized, the communication channels are decided. Final approval for this for all categories rests with the CM of home and Lifestyle as well
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Coordination...
5
...between agencies and internal department and communication.
Agency Requirement The PR agency sends regular notifications for all kinds of PR activities and PR requirements (for a magazine ad, poster, etc.) to the in-house team
Inside the House The query is evaluated, its relevance measured and if found profitable enough if forwarded to the dep head of the concerned department.
Working The query is addressed by the PR team in conjugation with the concerned department to come up with a final draft
At the Agency Final draft is forwarded to agency which forwards it to the concerned team and also analyses the impressions generated.
Insights through PR value The agency calculates and sends a monetary form of impressions. PR value is calculated in-house and stored as a reference.
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Events and Marketing Events and Marketing is a major department since it handles two very important aspects of the Brand and Marketing department along with managing all advertising agencies associated with Fabindia. The department comprises a team of two with an outsourced events manager and a host of external agencies.
Chief operations of the department include addressing all department queries for organizing events, managing customer database and identifying target segments for each campaign for each channel of communication, managing budgets for the same, holding regular surveys for customer feedback, working with legal team to finalize contracts with all the outsourced agencies, consumer data analysis for better marketing experience, and resolving customer queries relating to events/ workshops. Fabindia’s average durables range from 9+ to 7+ based on score in NCCS scale. Wavemaker is its main agency.
Head Of Creatives The Head of Creatives at Fabindia is responsible for deciding and managing the creative aspect of a category. For the same the Creative Head works with the Category Manager and the Category Head to weave a visual that reflects the design team’s thought process while communicating effectively with the audience. Major roles of the head of Creatives are brainstorming campaign themes for a collection/ a major upcoming events/ sale announcements, coordinating with the category manager to understand the department’s requirement, planning photoshoots( and everything that involves one including finding a stylist, deciding the mood, look and feel), working with the in-house graphics team for final visuals, and working with communications department for a suitable communication design.
Data Collection & Analysis The department collects consumer data pan India via their purchase history, brand interactions and grievances addressal and analyses it.
Channel of Communication Segments for the required channels of communication are identified keeping in mind the budget
Targeting Each campaign/ workshop/ad is targeted to the customers using certified methods BARC (for TV) and NCCS.
Events Once the audience is targeted for different categories, regular workshops are organized to constantly gain new insights
Analysis After each ad, event, campaign all responses, impressions, hit are collected and analyzed to future reference.
The Brief The Creative Head receives the dep. query via the category Manager along with the department’s design team’s presentations and final products.
Brainstorming The Creative Head with suggestions from the concerned department head brainstorms ideas.
Theme, mood, story... A theme is chosen along with the mood and story and when reviewed and approved is carried forward.
Creating Visuals They personally work with outsourced stylists, makeup team, photographer for art direction. They also work with the graphic head.
Designing Communication For all written communication (like taglines, copy, descriptions) the Creative Head works alongside the PR and Communications team.
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INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
From the Artisan to the Store: How a Fabindia product reaches you Trend Research and Forecasting is done via WGSN, Pantone. Swatches decided from the swatch catalogue. The design team chooses theme, inspiration and creates the mood board. Set of motifs are chosen Sample patterns produced using the motifs Categories decided i.e. which patterns are to be used with which product category A sample is produced for the artisan’s assistance . The sample is then dispatched to the craft cluster community that is skilled in the required craft. The artisan collects the sample as well as raw materials from the regional hub. Finishes the order and resubmits the stock at the hub.
The finished stock reaches the headquarters, is reviewed by the PSC team and sent for finishing. The artisan gets paid for all the pieces selected. After finishing, the stock is dispatched to the regional stores as per the unit requirement. You buy it! PAGE 24
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Products & Services
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
Fabindia offers a variety of products and customer services catering its huge community of loyal customers, new customers, and the next generation of relatively younger audience. This is done by sticking to its legacy of providing quality, genuine products, strategic communication and through constant retail innovation. A variety of services such as the Fab Family rewards, Fab CafĂŠ, Fabindia Schools and Experience centres exist to offer its customers something fresh at all times. Fabindia's products are natural, craft based, contemporary, and affordable.
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Product Categorization and Range
Broadly speaking the product categorization in Fabindia is different from the department differentiation and working . Product categorization consists of the following:
Furniture Living Dining Bedroom
Apparel
Ethnic Western
Accents and Accessories
Menswear
Home Decor Giftware Tableware
Womenswear
Décor
Ethnic
Lighting
Western
Garment Accessories Jewelry (Anusuya Collection) Jewelry (Ananya Collection)
Infants and Kids Above 4 years (Girls) Above 4 years (Boys) Below 4 years
Home and Lifestyle
Home Linen Bed Linen Table Linen Curtains Floor Covering Bath Linen
Beauty
Skincare
Haircare
Fragrances
Food
Spices, Seasoning and Masalas
Tea, Coffee and Beverages
Sweeteners
Herbs
Ayurvedic Supplements
Sauces
Pickles and Chutneys
Pasta and Noodles
Preserves
Rice flour and pulses
Ready to eat
Oils, ghee and nutbutters
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
Annual Collections Apart from seasonal collections, every year Fabindia introduces its annual range of specific collections from almost each category. These collections are big in both sales, advertising and revenues and carry a certain mass appeal among the loyal audience that eagerly waits for a fresh variant of these annual collections every year. The idea is to retain the flavour and the essence of the collection and giving it a new meaning with changing trend cycles. Some major annual collections have been discussed below Malhar The prefestive apparel collection, Malhar, comes out every year in the beginning of the month of August. The collection marks the beginning of the festive season and welcomes the excitement in the air. The mood is vibrant and classy with subtle palettes and minimal details. Malhar is an indo-western collection.
Organic India In 2013, Fabindia acquired a 40 per cent stake in Organic India Pvt Ltd, a Lucknow-based organic food and supplements firm, according to a report in The Economic Times. Today, Organic India products line the stores of Fabindia as the organization enters a new category of organic products. For long,Organic India has promoted organic products and supported sustainable farming. The firm also cultivates, collects, processes, manufactures and markets Certified Organic Tulsi Teas, Herbal Supplements, Psyllium, Castor Oil, Ayurvedic and Medicinal Herbs, and many other organic foods and spices. The merger has been a successful endeavour with Organic India products being the integral part of all of Fabindia’s Wellness and Spa centres within the Experience centres. Currently, Fabindia, is looking to take its tea brand, Organic India to China.
Rajwada The festive apparel collection, Rajwada comes out in the month of October every year. Rajwada celebrates the festive excitement with its bold palette, traditional silhouettes, detailed trims and overall festal mood. Rajwada registers the maximum sales among all collections.
Indian Spring The collection celebrates the beginning of the summer season and is released in the month of March every year. Indian Spring is characterized by breathable fabrics, simple silhouettes, and a color palette that is reminiscent of spring.
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Services Fab Family
Fab Cafe
The Fabfamily program is one way in which Fabindia endeavours to reward and thank loyal customers for patronizing FOPL products at participating Fabindia stores in India and on www.fabindia.com. Through this program, customers can collect points on their allotted cards and apon point redemption, can get a chance to win any of the Fabindia experiencesa resort stay to a pre-planned holiday at a fivestar inn.
Inspired Indian Bistro, the Fabindia’s Fabcafe is an all-day dining concept with lush green interiors and regionally inspired healthy traditional Indian cuisine. It creates an evolving menu where there is contemporary innovation with Indian Food using local, organic and nourishing ingredients. The idea behind Fabcafe is to serve food that is fresh, simple, healthy, and flavours that are uncomplicated and clean.
Currently, the customer loyalty program is divided into five tiers which are allocated on the basis of the amount one has spent with Fabindia over a predetermined period.
Fab Cafe also intends to cater to people with dietary restrictions so that they can savour the best of dishes with restricted ingredients. At Fabcafe, any use of refined sugar, oil and wheat is restrained and instead, dishes are cooked with ghee, hearty alternative grains, unrefined ghur.
Benefits of this program include shopping from home exclusive previews, shopping by appointment, an extended exchange period, and a dedicated relationship manager. Launched simultaneously across online and brick and mortar stores, the loyalty program allows aggregation and redemption of points across all Fabindia stores. Besides giving customers the opportunity to earn and accumulate points against their shopping spends, feedback and referrals, the Fabfamily loyalty program extend to offer curated experiences, such as a vacation, a meal at a handpicked restaurant, an adventurous trail in the outdoors, or a discovery trip into a artisanal cluster.
Most of the non-perishable ingredients come from Organic India, a Lucknow-based organic food company which Fabindia has a stake in, while the cafe goes local for fresh produce. The first Fab Cafe opened in March 2017 in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area,
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
Experience Centres
Fabindia Schools
The Fabindia Experience centre is a new retail store format that is innovative and focuses on the transition from transactional retail to experiential retail. It is a format that aims at creating a destination hub that delights customers by creating experiences for everyone in the family.
The Fabindia School is a co-ed private school for pre-school through Class XII, located in Bali, Rajasthan. Starting with 11 students in 1992, today there are near 500 students with over 50% female enrollment. The school emphasizes a holistic approach to education, offering extensive extra curricular programs along with comprehensive academic courses while focusing on the local culture.
With this innovative, multi-dimensional retail concept offering something for everyone under one roof, Fabindia Experience Center is designed to consistently give customers more reasons to return. It houses the complete Fabindia range – everyday wear and occasion wear for women, men and kids, accessories, home & lifestyle range, personal care products and organic foods. The Organic India Wellness Center, FabCafe, Alteration Studio and Interior Design Studio housed in this Experience Center come together to make this a one-stop experience destination. Fabcafe The FabCafe primarily focuses on bringing a nutritious menu highlighting India’s diverse cuisine with a wide array of dishes representing various parts of the country. Organic Wellness Center Extending the focus on health and well-being, Fabindia Experience Center has a designated space for Organic India’s first Wellness store in Delhi that promotes healthy conscious living. It encourages customers to interact with trained consultants on various aspects of health, lifestyle and well-being.
The Fabindia School's mission is to provide access to high quality education for boys and girls at the rural level using English as the medium of instruction. To realize the dream of providing equal educational opportunity for girls, the school gives up to 100 scholarships and 70% are for girls alone. The school also provides scholarships through a partnership with The John Bissell Scholars Fund. It is a matter of pride that girls hold many leadership posts in the school. In addition, the school seeks to enroll and subsidize children from socially and economically marginalized communities who otherwise do not have access to quality education. The school frequently welcomes visitors, trained specialists and volunteers from across India and overseas who contribute towards the campus, teaching and sharing their experiences with the students. This unique cross-cultural exposure creates a well-informed and broad minded student body.
Interior Design Studio The Interior Design Studio (IDS), a one- stop design solution to help create memorable spaces which provides a range of services such as consultancy, product customization and colour scheme coordination, etc. Kids Zone (Tuck Buck) An exclusive entertainment area for kids that offers a wide variety of games to encourage them to explore and interact with their environment. At present there are 14 experience centres across the country. PAGE 30
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Projects Undertaken
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
As part of my internship at the Fabindia Overseas Pvt. Ltd. I was allotted a number of projects that came under my profile as a copywriter working with the PR and Communications team. My projects spanned across different genres as well. These included drafting press releases for the new collections as per the design brief from the department that requires one, designing and writing listicles for a variety of publications including Elle Decor and GQ, fulfilling day to day requirements for product descriptions and designing communication strategy for an upcoming annual collection. Working on each of these projects have been a gainful experience.
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01
MALHAR 2019
Malhar is the annual pre-festive collection from Fabindia that hits the stores every year in the beginning of the month of August. The collection marks the beginning of the festive season and welcomes the excitement in the air. The collection is characterized by indo-western silhouettes, fusion garments, traditional surface details and embroideries with minimal trims and a subtle color palette with a few vibrant colors. The overall mood is classy, elegant and well suited for a modern Indian. The 2019 collection of Malhar features a color palette of magenta, deep red, blues, white, beige and neutrals with golden details. The fabrics used are cotton, cotton-silk, tussar silk, silk brocade and viscose tussar. The surface techniques include chanderi, jamdani, and a variety of weaves including benarsi.
Brief The project brief included the following points:
Study the Malhar 2019 collection and write a copy for it that effectively communicates the essence of the collection while creating a good recall value. Come up with sample collection briefs for the website Write the press release for the Malhar 2019 collection.
Objective The objective was to decide on a brand communication strategy to re-introduce the brand’s prefestive collection, Malhar.
While approaching the brief our main problem was that people had trouble relating the collection ‘Malhar’ with pre-festivity and the communication lacked proper consistency and mood. The aim was to brainstorm a solution which can communicate and educate people of the mood of the collection and the garments that are part of it while evoking the festive excitement. For this I worked under my mentor and head of PR and Communications, Prableen Sabhaney, the creative head of women’s apparel, Vidhi Malpuri, senior executive of PR, Shreya Bhardwaj under the guidance of Mr. Karan Kumar, the head of Brand and Marketing Department, Fabindia. The initial ideas for this fusion line included promoting it for the festive after hours, as a traditional solution for modern generation, a vibrant collection that is designed for festive dressing. Suggestions were also given for names (in case we rename it) and slogans, copywriting, and theme.
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
Copy Suggestions (Web descriptions)
Malhar Evoke the festive feeling as you immerse yourself in a cultural fiesta of traditions, colors, jingles and laughter. Inspired from the generations before, and inspiring the generations beyond, Fabindia presents a stunning new collection- an exquisite gala celebrating the best of contemporary and indigenous charms, blended together in an alluring extravaganza. This August, celebrate the joy of dressing up. Malhar Marva is a woven tapestry of handcrafted elegance and Indian hues. The pre-festive collection from Fabindia is an eloquent arcade of styles as western silhouettes and the traditional embroidery come together to blend seamlessly in a vivid palette of Prussian blues, magenta, gold and beige comprising weaves from across the country- from Chanderi to Jamdani. This season, indulge in the cultural celebration with an attire that redefines festive dressing.
Malhar Soak in the cultural exuberance with an opulent ode to the beginning of the festive season. Fabindia introduces Malhar, an exquisite fusion line comprising western silhouettes and traditional embroidery in a language that speaks of a myriad of colors - from Prussian blues, to flaming reds, subtle beiges and details in gold. Malhar is a modern celebration of traditions. Beautifully traditional, yet uniquely your own. Malhar Embrace the festive celebrations with Fabindia’s collection of fusion garments. Each attire is uniquely crafted and richly woven in an exquisitely curated palette of blues, reds, beige and neutrals. Malhar celebrates the festive excitement in the air, as the modern and traditional styles blend together in a stunning orchestra of ancient rhythms and modern verses.
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Copy Suggestions (taglines/ campaign slogan)
Malhar by Fabindia Celebrate the festivity in the air with a collection that is beautifully traditional, yet uniquely your own. Malhar by Fabindia This festive season, celebrate the joy of dressing up. Malhar by Fabindia Create a festive tradition that is beautifully traditional yet uniquely your own. Malhar by Fabindia Bright blues, classic beiges or flaming reds? This festive season, wear a style that is a contemporary ode to the traditional hues. Malhar by Fabindia Traditionally festive. Uniquely modern. Malhar by Fabindia. Embrace the traditional essence. Relish in the contemporary style. Malhar by Fabindia. Evoke the festive feeling with authentic weaves, vivid hues and attire that defines you. / This season, evoke the festive feeling with authentic weaves, vivid hues and an essence that defines you. / Soak in the festive harmony, in vivid hues and authentic weaves. Celebrate the season with Fabindia. Malhar by Fabindia. Color yourself in the season’s jubilant mood. / Colorful as the season’s jubilant mood Malhar by Fabindia. Festive dressing, redefined.
Fabindia presents its annual festive collection, Malhar! New Delhi, August 18th, 2019: Fabindia marks the beginning of the festive season with Malhar, a collection that is a celebration of cultural exuberance. The Malhar collection takes its inspiration from the festive excitement that the refreshing season of showers brings with itself. Featuring an effusive variety of fusion garments, Malhar is a visual treat that presents a stunning union of western silhouettes, and traditional embroidery. Malhar is an ode to the season’s celebrations, excitement and revelry. The latest collection defines the very essence. Malhar’s palette brings together a lucent assortment of colours, both subtle and bright. Featuring flaming reds and brilliant blues to ambient off-whites and classic beige, every garment in the collection encapsulates the festive grandeur yet feels individualistic, and uniquely urbane. Fabindia embraces the Indian culture of dressing up for traditional moments. With its vivid range of garments designed for every festive occasion, the Malhar collection is designed with the same thought. From a richly textured tussar silk adorned with a light embroidery to flowy, cotton drapes that complement the lively weather, the multi-cultural wardrobe is an exotic curation of impeccable artistry, sourced from every nook and corner of the country. An impressive variety of embroideries and printing techniques add to the collection’s unique flavour. Garments adorned in Chanderi, jamdani, Khari prints and brocades in gold threads add an element of drama and match with the joyous setting. The collection comprises kurtas, dresses, shirts, scarves, saris and lehengas and is now available in stores across India as well as available on the Fabindia website. With 306 stores across 101 cities in India and 13 international stores, Fabindia Overseas Private Limited is India’s largest retail platform for a wide range of products produced by artisans living largely in rural areas. We endeavour to blend indigenous craft techniques with contemporary designs, presenting aesthetic and affordable handcrafted products to today’s consumers using natural materials and fibres. The product range extends from a large variety of apparel for men, women and children to home furnishings, furniture, gifts, jewellery, organic food and personal care products.
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COLLECTION NOTES
A collection note is a written communication that reports specific but brief information about an event, circumstance, or other happening. It's typically tied to a business or organization and provided to media through a variety of means. At Fabindia, I worked on a number of collection notes for different collection launches. Each of these collections came with a design brief, color palette, theme/inspiration. As a copywriter, I worked with different departments to understand their requirements and write accordingly.
Brief The project brief included the following points:
Dinnerware /Serveware collection Material used: Bone china High quality china 24k gold decal surface details Palette: red, indigo Indian motifs Luxurious
Objective To come up with a collection note that defines the essence of the collection that is luxurious and traditional.
Fabindia presents the Jodha collection New Delhi, August 22nd, 2019: Fabindia announces the launch of its new decadent dinnerware collection – Jodha. The new range takes a leaf from the age-old, traditional motifs and patterns that are reminiscent of the country’s rich culture and history. Crafted from high quality porcelain, this collection has been designed to elevate the culinary experience and turn it into a regal affair. Jodha pays an ode to the ethnic artistry through an immaculate blend of unique design and high quality craftsmanship. Featuring vivid hues of red and indigo, this collection is subtle yet distinct. While the palatial palette celebrates Indian revelry, the minimal design speaks of timeless grandeur. The Jodha collection is adorned with intricate gold patterns in the form of floral artistry and is decaled in 24 carat gold. Traditional Indian motifs come alive against a range of luminous glazed serve ware and tableware. With the Jodha collection, Fabindia takes fine dining a notch higher. Featuring an assortment of bowls, mugs, plates, and glasses, the Jodha collection is now available in stores across India as well as available on the Fabindia website.
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Brief The project brief included the following points:
The collection comes under Lighting category under the Home Décor section Products feature cane and thread braiding All products are handmade The lights feature a contemporary look designed for a modern home Collection inspiration: indian roots Organic, free forms The collection includes brass string lights, and handmade paper string lights The collection is designed for the festive season.
Objective To come up with a collection note that defines the essence of the collection that is festive, organic and contemporary.
Add sparkle to your home this festive season with Fabindia’s new range of string lights, Jeev New Delhi, August 22nd, 2019: Fabindia announces the launch of Jeev, a handcrafted collection of string lights to commemorate the festive season. Radiant and versatile, the new range features both, fine craftsmanship and subtle elegance. A contemporary palette adds to the collection’s grace and come together to weave a lucid tapestry of colors. While the palette brings a sense of warmth to the space, the natural and organic form of these lights add an essence of tranquility. The distinctive union of an innovative approach and indigenous techniques makes the Jeev collection truly unique. The veritable new collection comprises a diverse range of high quality string lights; each individually crafted by hand with cane and thread braiding, and tailored to fit the celebratory mood. The Brass string lights add to the splendor of the collection, offering a refreshing take on festal decoration. The Jeev collection is now available in stores across India as well as available on the Fabindia website. With 306 stores across 101 cities in India and 13 international stores, Fabindia Overseas Private Limited is India’s largest retail platform for a wide range of products produced by artisans living largely in rural areas. We endeavour to blend indigenous craft techniques with contemporary designs, presenting aesthetic and affordable handcrafted products to today’s consumers using natural materials and fibres. The product range extends from a large variety of apparel for men, women and children to home furnishings, furniture, gifts, jewellery, organic food and personal care products.
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CRAFT STORY
Fabindia, as a brand, has always believed in the idea of inclusivity and empowerment for all. A major aspect of this ideology is reflected in its endeavour to support the artisan community by providing them a stable means of livelihood along with additional employee benefits all from the comfort of the artisan’s home.
Fabindia, today, has 11 regional hubs that serve as aggregation points and centres where vendors work with a variety of craft clusters communities and individual artisans. Fabindia has always been a transparent brand that promotes slow fashion and that has always chosen fair labour over fast fashion.
Brief The project brief included the following points:
To write a feature story on a craft cluster that create awareness about the craft while educating the people about Fabindia’s initiatives. The manner should be such that it sensitizes the new generation. The mood should be semi-formal and something that resonates with a wider audience.
Objective The aim was to raise awareness about the dying craft forms through a series of descriptive essays written for the purpose of print publication.
For the aforementioned brief, I chose to undertake Benarsi brocade as my craft. I decided to adopt a story format for a deeper connection between my readers and the text, the protagonist of the story being Abdullah, a master weaver. Through Abdullah personal journey numerous aspects of the craft are revealed such as its history, the process, the current status, etc. My aim was to showcase how Fabindia has made a difference in the lives of thousands of artisans like Abdullah.
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
Story Structure
Introduction Artisan Abdullah (start character development) About the city of Benaras Cultural Significance and relevance History of the craft Mention Fabindia’s artisan community Process Competition Change in and comparison of craft status from ancient to modern Need for design innovation Fabindia Conclusion
Alternate title suggestions
The Silk Routes On a silk road A poetry of Silk A poetry handcrafted in Silk.
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A Poetry Handcrafted in Silk A story of the immaculate artistry, a dying craft and the Benarsi silk weave…
Each day, before the sun hits the zenith, the narrow bylanes of Benaras resound with a life of their own- humdrum from the buzzing markets, rhythmic nip and thud of handlooms, temple bells and yarns of thread. Behind the curtains, the Fabindia family extends beyond the stores and offices to the villages, streets and straight to the artisans’ workplace. Benarsi weave, after all, is more than just merchandize; it is an experience that we know too little of. Abdullah is having a good day today. The household is bustling with activity -the way mornings usually are- and the handloom is running smoothly already, marking an early start to a fresh day. Outside, the fellow artisans work the dyeing pot in frenzied intensity. An order has to be sent out by the evening, and Abdullah has to make sure it is perfect. The clock registers 9 am, sharp. While a lot has changed in the past two decades since Abdullah- a master weaver now- entered the craft, the schedule remains rigorously the same each day. In this holy city of ancient lores and legends housing more than 23,000 temples and the cosmic Ganges, weavers like Abdullah embrace and carry forward with them a legacy that is hard to script in mere words. A deeper perspective reveals that the quintessential weave resonates with a story of its ownhaving commenced some 2000 years back and ending with a weaver’s final stitch, probably in a basement by the pale gaze of a dimly lit bulb. Hirayana, the ‘golden’ cloth is the pride of Kashi and the cradle of a civilization older than time. The artistry finds a mention in the Hindu magnum opus the Mahabharata and the Ramayana as well as in the Jataka tales that describe how the textile became the city’s cultural identity; Benaras being an open haven for all artistic altruism. Back in the present time, Abdullah’s day has just begun. It has been a decade now since he became a part of Fabindia’s artisan community. He has never looked back since. The community is a thriving hub of tradition handicrafts where skilled local artisans are employed by Fabindia, and work from their homes for a regular paycheck, and a greater reach. The opportunity was new and immune to the changing times.
It’s almost one now and Abdullah is back at his work. The spindles of twisted raw silk yarn are yet to be dyed and the nearby cauldron is brewing to a slow simmer in a dye shade of brilliant blue. Upon taking a few steps down the alcove, one will be greeted with long swathes of freshly dyed yarn, hung out to dry like an open page of a shade chart. These reels will be unwound and woven in a saree with the designed motifs in gold or silver zari thread. Tomorrow Abdullah will receive a fresh lot of raw silk from Fabindia’s nearby warehouse and the entire process will be repeated but with a new design. Abdullah believes though that tastes are shifting and the grandeur of the past sits today in sharp conflict with the urbane preferences of the new generation of shoppers. As ‘cultural identity’ slowly succumbs to the Sisyphean struggle for raw materials, labour rights and a consistent market, the struggle for survival continues. There seldom is an alternate choice. Abdullah, though, did make a choice that redefined the course of events that are
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT
oft pre-set for artisans like him. He was getting to work on his trade in an environment where he could craft his own stories and not worry about the reach. A situation like this invites a sombre introspection. Do artisans like Abdullah need to contemporize the process to be able to reach out and cater to a smarter, more experimental customer? How can we preserve the originality of the technique and the designs? How can collaboration between an artisan community and Fabindia make a difference? Sitting hunched over a manual pit loom, Abdullah starts a fresh weave for a brocade sari, his project for the next six weeks. The punch cards or 'naksh' that weavers used to guide the loom’s needlework stitch by stitch are lying close beside, fresh and ready for use. Having worked with the artisan community of Fabindia for over a decade now, Abdullah- a master artisan from Chandoli and the weaver of Kinkhwaab style of silk brocade- is slowly learning the demands of a contemporary market, the changing landscape and the ubiquitous nature of design in a modern environment. With Fabindia, the traditional weave retains its flavour but is repacked in a design that appeals to today's customer. The decision to switch from a traditional setup, with decades of practice behind, to a modern variant was difficult but a conscious one. But Abdullah was not alone. The Fabindia family today has grown to accommodate over 55,000 artisans and the community is thriving as more and more artisans choose to adapt to the changing norms. Small-time artisans like Abdullah working somewhere in the nooks and corners of the city are inclusive of this change. It’s a loss on our part when every minute another of Abdullah’s household member chooses to differ owing to scarcity and to search for ‘a newer and better’ trade that offers a more lucrative life. It’s a loss when artisans get exploited as we bargain to invariable rates and treat the craft as a commercialized commodity. It is our loss when we fail to uplift the artisans and paint the craft in hues of changing times. Abdullah, from Chandoli, is the voice of every silk weaver from Benaras. May he live a good life.
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LEARNINGS
My Professional experience at Fabindia Overseas Pvt. Ltd. has been both skillful and insightful. The industry internship not only allowed me to gain key experience in a variety of department s but also learn a number of new things that would prove to be helpful in future.
Through this internship, I got a chance to understand in live the working of each department, the flow of the information, the team exercise, brainstorming, day to day operational breakdown and the procedure behind each task. Apart from understanding the functioning of a corporate giant known for its huge business empire and the legacy it carries, I got to understand in depth what a brand’s identity actually means and why is it so essential for it to reflect in every major and minor aspect of the brand. I got to learn what Fabindia as a brand stands for, what is its USP and upon finding it how to learn to mould myself to work accordingly. As a copywriter working with the PR and Communications team, under the Brand and Marketing Department, my learning included a major aspect of how PR works. My profile also enabled me to learn how to craft a copy that reflect the brand while doing the job. Apart from this I also learnt to design a communication strategy, write press releases, brainstorming and creating content for digital platforms, and understand Fabindia’s vision for a retail innovation. Overall my learning experience has been a great journey towards professional development and growth.
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CONCLUSION
The industry internship at Fabindia Overseas Pvt. Ltd. was an experience that was both rewarding and gainful. The internship gave me a chance to explore myself across different spheres and find my area of interest, the internship also immensely contributed towards my professional growth.
Through this internship, I got a chance to understand in live the working of each department, the flow of the information, the team exercise, brainstorming, day to day operational breakdown and the procedure behind each task. On a more personal note, the industry internship helped to evolve as a person and get a gist of the working environment of a corporate giant, the life of a working professional and lastly to gain a deeper insight on my field of interest. As part of my internship, I forced myself to perform better, achieve greater and better results, practice my academic skills, build new skills and adopt a healthy professional attitude.
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REFERENCES
Web
www.fabindia.com
www. wikipedia.org/fabindia
www.fabindiaschools.org
www.thehindu.com
www.qz.com/india/775968/fabindias-found-success-by-rewarding-local-artisans
Research Paper
Fabindia: Branding India’s Artisanal Craft for Mass Retail by Jean Wee, published under INSEAD
Books
The fabric of our lives by Radhika Singh
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