Ahmedabad, 29th January, 2023 : The fourth edition of the prestigious Ahmedabad Design Week (ADW) organised by Karnavati University concluded on a high note on Sunday. The concluding day saw a series of detailed deliberations about wearable technologies, how design has changed the way businesses are done, paradigm shifts in design education and the impact of digital platforms on the fashion industry.
The day opened with a session titled, ‘Last night a tech guy saved my life OR How Covid changed the digital masterplan’ addressed by Mr Daniel Boey – Fashion Director and Creative Curator of Daniel Boey Pte. Ltd. He highlighted how the world of fashion has undergone a change with the digital revolution and digital interventions. “Before Covid-19 fashion industry went about doing fashion weeks and putting up physical shows alone. However, Covid brought a paradigm shift in the fashion industry with digital interventions. For instance, the Singapore Government had earmarked a fund soon after the Covid-19 pandemic to support creatives. This helped us put up frontrow style – a digital fashion festival. The entire festival was shot during Covid-19 lockdown and as an outcome, designers across Singapore began getting noticed globally. This is how digital platforms changed the way we view fashion,” he said.
“In fact, Covid actually democratised the fashion industry as digital platforms gave space to young designers who were otherwise overlooked. It created huge opportunities. Moreover, since people could not fly overseas due to Covid restrictions, at least 90% of the teams were local which boosted local employment in a big way,” MrBoey further explained.
Mr Tovi Sorga, Founder and Director, Tovi Sorga Design, and Founder, Alkemest Design, spoke about ‘The present and future of wearables’. Mr Sorga has designed a payment gateway which can be used to make payments using wearable accessories. Some of his products used to make payments include Fish Keychain, iPod Pouch, Phone case, Bracelet and Cufflinks. During the session, he shared his journey of designing flexible wearables that can be used as payment methods – a perfect amalgamation of design and technology.
Mr Aman Mehta, Vice President – User Experience and Product Design, PharmEasy spoke on how Covid-19 changed the way people thought about their own health. “We live in a world that is constantly changing. For instance, people’s approach towards their health changed since Covid-19. People began buying healthcare products as well as medicines online – which was not as common as before the pandemic. This led to the development of a digital healthcare ecosystem which helped understand the consumer in depth.”
Ms Vinita Michael, Founder and Creative Director, Vinita Michael LLC, also addressed a session on the Day-III of ADW 4.0. She explained 8 Ps of Entrepreneurship namely Passion, Purpose, Product/Service, Positioning, Partnership & Collaboration, Pricing & Profitability, People and Collaboration.
Mr Sadanand Sudhir, President and CEO, On2Cook India, encouraged participants to Design, Innovate and Invent. He talked about the role of invention, and how ideas and designs are transformed into businesses. He highlighted the importance of positioning and branding and also made a demonstration of On2Cook.
A Panel Discussion on Shifting Paradigms in Design Education and its impact on the industry by Ms Honey Bajaj, co-founder and chief design officer, StealthTech; Ms Kadambari Sahu, vice president – Design, ValueLabs and Mr Pradyumna Vyas, member, board of director, World Design Organisation.
ADW 4.0 is a design conclave and a confluence of globally renowned design experts, thought leaders, researchers and stalwarts, organised by Karnavati University and presented by Unitedworld Institute of Design (UID). The inaugural ceremony of the three-day event took place on Friday morning. Karnavati University is a state private university dedicated to excellence in teaching and is focused on interdisciplinary learning.
Started as India Design Confluence (IDC) in 2018 and later rebranded, ADW originated with the philosophy of providing a vibrant and gyrating platform for creative enthusiasts to showcase and express their ideas and concepts before a community of designers, academicians, innovators, global advocates, industry captains and professionals from the world of design and other creative domains.
This year’s edition is themed on TRAP – Technologically Revolutionizing Across Paradigms. TRAP is an expression which states that technology is an inseparable entity in today’s time. Innovations in sectors are impossible without the assistance and integration of technology and design is no exception.
