Rustic Weaves

Service & UI/UX Design

5 Months

Individual Project

Project Info

Scope

The project travels to rugged mountain terrain of Himachal Pradesh and Deccan plateau, listening to stories told by the pastoralists, branded as "primitive". The project is about unpacking their so-called primitive practices of goat and sheep herding, wherein lies the key to some of the current environmental challenges including sustainability, climate change and livelihood security.

My Role

Since this was an individual thesis project, my responsibilities included breaking down the problem statement, narrowing the focus area, conducting in-depth research, and defining the solution approach. I then moved on to ideating, exploring possible directions, detailing the design, and testing its feasibility. The project concluded with a prototype that brought the solution to life through branding and website design.

Process

Research - Problem Statement - Ideation - Service Design Solution - Business Prototype - Business Branding & Website Output

Why?

Trying to change the perception of this practice.
Increase everyone’s knowledge and appeal towards these traditional practices and products.
Getting consumers to be aware of what exactly they are shopping from the market and helping them stay in touch with the ground reality more.
Trying to design creative solutions around the problems faced by the shepherding community.

Broad Content

The perception of pastoralism as “primitive” has led to a drastic decline in the practice, driven by modernization and urbanization.
Indigenous wool now faces low demand, resulting in heavy wastage and a struggling wool economy where shepherds earn far less.
Consumers increasingly prefer imported or acrylic wool for its quality and affordability.
Research areas - Belgaum and Himachal

The Pastoralists

To understand the pastoralists and their way of life, I visited two communities with my thesis cohort: the Kurubas in Belgaum and the Gaddis in Himachal. We lived with them, observed their routines, engaged in conversations, and participated in their daily work to better grasp their processes and challenges. This experience helped us empathize with the pastoralists and appreciate their way of living.

The two-week research trip focused on studying the wool production process and the system within the community. Given my interest and background, I explored traditional wool-making methods in depth, seeking to comprehend the community's motivations for preserving these practices despite the efficiency of industrial methods.

Understanding the Kurba community at Belgaum, Karnataka

Understanding the Gaddi community at Naggar, Himachal Pradesh

During this time, we were also introduced to industrial wool production processes using imported merino wool. This exposure helped us compare traditional and industrial methods, offering a well-rounded understanding of both. While industrial systems showcased efficiency and scale, they also revealed the economic disruption faced by Indian pastoralists. In contrast, the traditional, labor-intensive processes ensured the use of Indian wool and upheld sustainable practices.

This comparison not only highlighted the technical differences but also the contrasting lifestyles behind each approach - industrial methods prioritized speed and uniformity, while traditional ones valued craftsmanship, cultural heritage, and sustainability.

These insights helped in shaping the problem statement for my project.

The Problem Statement

Based on the research conducted during the trip, I identified key opportunity areas and derived a focused problem statement from these insights. The problem statement is as follows:

Designing an intervention to address the lack of demand for indigenous wool, which leads to its wastage and has caused a significant shift in the wool economy, adversely affecting the pastoralists. This intervention aims to tackle the issue of demand to reduce the wastage of local wool while also changing public perceptions of the pastoralist lifestyle.

By concentrating on this problem statement, the intervention seeks to achieve two main goals:

Reducing Wool Wastage: By increasing the demand for indigenous wool, we can ensure that the locally produced wool is utilized efficiently, thereby minimizing wastage and supporting the economic stability of the pastoralist communities.
Shifting Public Perception: Through targeted strategies and awareness campaigns, we can reshape how people view the pastoralist lifestyle, highlighting its value, sustainability, and cultural significance. This shift in perception can foster greater appreciation and support for traditional wool production practices.

Overall, this intervention aspires to create a sustainable solution that benefits both the pastoralists and the wider community, promoting the use of indigenous wool and preserving the rich cultural heritage associated with it.

The Solution: Business Aggregator

A platform designed to connect urban residents with the world of pastoralism by using the tourism sector as a primary touchpoint. It acts as a business intervention and aggregator between Indian wool producers and consumers, leveraging establishments like hotels and cafes to raise awareness and demand for indigenous wool products.

This approach promotes the cultural and economic value of traditional pastoral practices while aiming to shift public perception positively. Future plans include expanding partnerships and exploring new opportunities to strengthen the platform’s reach and impact, supporting both pastoralist communities and the wool economy sustainably.

What?

A business aggregator that aims to raise awareness and demand for pastoralism and local wool products.

Why?

To increase knowledge, appeal, and demand for local wool products, and to change perceptions about pastoralism to help preserve the traditional practice in a rapidly changing economy.

How?

By leveraging the tourism industry and designing strategies where tourists encounter local wool products and pastoralism stories at various touchpoints throughout their journey.

The various challenges that I have to look at and try to tackle while developing this project idea are:

Secondary and Primary Research

The secondary research for the business solution involved the following things:

Looking at some other business plans, how they worked and what took them to the road of success.
indigenous wool, its features and benefits
Problems faced by pastoralists in India
Problems with the demand of Indian wool.
The relationship of pastoralism and government.
Center of pastoralism and the various businesses that they collaborate with.

Apart from the field research that I carried out, the "solution specific" primary research was focused around Interviews carried out of various people, from the ones working closely in the pastoralism landscape, to the ones in tourism and some entrepreneurs and product thinkers. This research helped me evaluate and develop the business idea further.

Stakeholder Mapping

Target Audience

Primary:

15+, Middle class+, living in cities
Like travelling/experience local culture and shop souvenirs.
Into sustainability, sustainable fashion, etc
Travel agencies, hotels, cafes, restaurants, dhaabas, etc.

Secondary: (People not that related to travelling, but can be the reason for increase in demand.)

Fashion designers
Creative Minds interested in problem-solving, residing in the cities.
The government
Traders, exporters, international markets
Other companies like furniture, interior design firms, NGOs, etc. for collaboration.