My Story

Intro

Design education in India is comparatively very expensive and out of reach for most people. While in a country as rich in diversity as India there is no dearth of creativity, it needs to be supported by education and training in various aspects of Design Strategy and Application. Joshua, turned his passion for design into a profitable business, while helping local artisans to develop their skills and increase their incomes.

About Me

I am a design entrepreneur, passionate about applying Design for Social Impact initiatives. I live and work in Uttarakhand, India, where I run a design consultancy firm and a social enterprise producing furniture and crafts in partnership with rural craft and skill based producer communities in the region.

I studied Industrial Design at the Kendall College of Art & Design in Michigan, USA. Though I have had the opportunity and experience of an international education in design, I have always wanted to come back to India and work with the community I live in.  Since my college days itself, I was interested in working on environmentally conscious design initiatives. In 2005, I left my job in the USA and returned to India to start an initiative in my area. At that time, I became aware of the potential of Bamboo as a low cost, eco-friendly material that was appropriate to create employment opportunities among unskilled youth in my region. Attending a short-term training program on techniques of working with bamboo and learning of its impact on the environment also challenged me to work with the material. Thus I started a furniture manufacturing enterprise providing training and employment to local youth in making of furniture and accessories in Bamboo.

Having started primarily as a bamboo-based furniture manufacturing enterprise, now the initiative has diversified into a hybrid business, working with several craft and skill based producer groups in the region and providing them services such as product design, skill up-gradation, technology and business development inputs. We also facilitate market linkages for the products.

I belong to a family that has been engaged in community development for several years and through my work, I too aspire to be a role model for youth in the community. Having had access to a fairly good education myself, to know that I am giving something back to the community, gives me the inspiration and excitement to continue my work. I have recently initiated another activity with the local youth where we will be providing training in English, Computers and Graphic Design to local youth in order to build their capacities to access employment in the creativity-based industries.

I believe that as a design-led enterprise, we represent the potential of Design for Social Impact, especially in terms of capacity building among the underprivileged, enhancing enterprise development and employability among youth. We not only provide design inputs and build production capabilities, but also provide a platform for fostering confidence and entrepreneurial temperament among the youth. At the same time, as we are a business and do not follow a subsidy model, we hope to inspire the creation of a community of self-reliant young entrepreneurs.

We also aim to raise consciousness among clients and policy makers on socially responsible business and the potential of leveraging design for addressing social concerns.

My Venture

I head a design-led social enterprise 'Studio Alaya' that works with crafts and skill based producer communities in rural and urban areas of Uttarakhand, a tiny mountain state in northern India in order to build their capacity to cater to contemporary markets and improve their livelihood prospects. 'Studio Alaya' is promoted by H&H Associates, a for-profit firm that I established in Dehradun in 2005 which has been providing consultancy in various fields of design such as product, furniture, interiors, graphics and related training and business development strategy to corporates, government and NGOs. Since 2005 I also run a furniture manufacturing enterprise training and providing employment to local youth. The enterprise is the first unit in the state to produce Bamboo furniture. Today we have diversified into several craft products and we manufacture and market furniture, crafts and accessories under the 'Studio Alaya' brand.

At Studio Alaya, we believe that providing business development services (BDS) is imperative to improving market access of the poor. In doing so, the key need is to bridge the gaps in the value chain between producers and the markets. Studio Alaya acts as a socially conscious business intermediary which identifies and strengthens backward and forward linkages for poor producers while operating in the market. We build entrepreneurial competencies through inputs in design, skills, information and business management literacy. We also facilitate market linkages for the products, where we follow a for-profit market led approach while ensuring adequate returns to the producers. We also work in collaboration with several livelihood development agencies, NGOs and Artisan Cooperatives in the region.

Currently we are working with more than 150 craft and skill based producers’ spread in 5 districts of Uttarakhand, providing business development inputs such as design, information on infrastructure, market access, financial literacy etc. Our product range includes bamboo furniture and accessories, handcrafted copperware, eco textiles such as industrial hemp and nettle stoles, bags and cushions in recycled textiles, basketry and bags in seasonal natural grasses etc.

While the first motive of any business is to be profitable; at Studio Alaya, we believe in developing a model of socially conscious business enterprise that is able to ensure profitability along with social impact. My aim is to scale up this enterprise and strengthen it financially so that Studio Alaya is able to link many more producers in the region to new markets, and diversify its services to further contribute towards facilitating livelihood opportunities for people in my region.