India: Contemporary Design: Fashion, Graphics, Interiors

This is a study of the work of trained designers in fashion, graphics and interiors to examine their ideas and influences upon them and their contribution to shaping the cosmopolitan environment of India’s cities. Focusing on the period from 2000 to the present—that is, the era of liberalisation and globalisation, it views the way they define their work and Indian-ness in the contemporary global context. On the basis of studio visits and interviews with designers, the essays illustrated with a number of images that include clothes, book designs, typeface designs, crafted furniture and crafted interiors showcase the designers’ works as reflective of their increased awareness of the world and their intercultural context and inter-connectedness driven by academic education, travel and exposure through technological media.