Budding designers discover India’s living design heritage

Students of Fashion Design and Interior Design undertook an enriching educational visit to the Crafts Museum, New Delhi, accompanied by Ms Satinder Kaur, Ms Garima J. Saini and Dr Priyanka Shukla. The visit was organised to provide students with first-hand exposure to India’s rich craft traditions and deepen their understanding of fabric, cultural expressions, vernacular design, traditional crafts, indigenous materials and craftsmanship.

For the Fashion Design students, the visit offered an opportunity to explore the museum’s extensive collection of traditional textiles and fabrics, including phulkari, bandhani, costumes, sarees, embroidery, weaving, dyeing, printed and painted textiles, and surface embellishment techniques. Observing these diverse textile traditions helped students understand how regional identities, community practices and locally available materials have historically shaped clothing and textile cultures across India.

The students also examined the connection between craft techniques, colour, texture, pattern and ornamentation, while recognising how textiles often carry stories about communities, traditions and cultural identity. These observations provided valuable creative inspiration for exploring the relevance of traditional techniques and visual languages in contemporary fashion and textile design.

The Interior Design students, meanwhile, focused on the relationship between material, craft, construction, space and culture. They observed traditional architectural elements, vernacular dwellings, furniture, everyday objects, surface treatments and handcrafted details, gaining insights into how craft practices can shape interior environments.

Particular attention was given to the use of locally available materials such as bamboo, wood, clay, stone, textiles and natural fibres. Students observed how these materials were transformed into functional as well as aesthetically meaningful elements. The experience helped them recognise that vernacular interiors are shaped by far more than visual appeal. Factors such as climate, local resources, lifestyle, craftsmanship and cultural practices play an equally important role in determining how spaces are designed and experienced.

An important dimension of the visit was the opportunity for students to critically reflect on the responsible adaptation of traditional knowledge. They explored how indigenous practices can be documented, interpreted and incorporated into contemporary design without disconnecting them from their original cultural context.

The visit also reinforced the importance of looking beyond the finished object to understand the maker, material, process and community behind every handcrafted creation. This perspective encouraged students to view craft not merely as decorative embellishment, but as a repository of knowledge, identity, skill and cultural memory.

The museum experience thus became an extension of classroom learning, enabling students to engage directly with India’s living craft traditions. It broadened their understanding of vernacular and traditional design while encouraging them to consider how indigenous materials, techniques, narratives and craftsmanship can inspire innovative, sustainable and culturally sensitive approaches to contemporary fashion and interior design.

By bringing academic concepts into direct conversation with authentic craft practices, the visit encouraged students to observe, question and interpret design through a wider cultural lens. It ultimately strengthened their appreciation of India’s diverse design heritage and its continuing relevance to contemporary creative practice.