Fusion Craft
Fusion Craft was incorporated with the vision to uplift the Indian handicraft industry and the people associated with it. Handicraft of any country is important in not only giving jobs to large community but is one of the major foreign revenue generators.Indian handicraft has always been appreciated in the world market. Even after efforts from the government the Indian contribution to export in this particular field is just 2.3%. The domestic market is no different, with the day by day declining sales of the product handicraft, the artisan and the community dependent on the art and craft have been most affected. Through surveys and reviews we found out the major problems hampering the sales of the product handicraft. Based on the results we formulated the solutions and started the venture.
About You
About You
First Name
Ankit
Last Name
Singh
Facebook Profile
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Fusion Craft
Organization Website
Organization Phone
+91-8400679751
Organization Address
185-Nanakri,IIT-kanpur
Organization Country
India, UP
Country where this project is creating social impact
India, UP
Is your organization a
For‐profit
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
The information you provide here will be used to fill in any parts of your profile that have been left blank, such as interests, organization information, and website. No contact information will be made public. Please uncheck here if you do not want this to happen..
Innovation
Entry Form title
Fusion Craft
What change do you want to bring to the world?
Fusion Craft was incorporated with the vision to uplift the Indian handicraft industry and the people associated with it. Handicraft of any country is important in not only giving jobs to large community but is one of the major foreign revenue generators.Indian handicraft has always been appreciated in the world market. Even after efforts from the government the Indian contribution to export in this particular field is just 2.3%. The domestic market is no different, with the day by day declining sales of the product handicraft, the artisan and the community dependent on the art and craft have been most affected. Through surveys and reviews we found out the major problems hampering the sales of the product handicraft. Based on the results we formulated the solutions and started the venture.
What are the primary activities of your project?
According to a recent report creative economy is an important part of any countries economy, because it is least affected by any up downs in the market, creates job for millions and generates large foreign revenue. The picture hasn't been very great as far as the Indian handicraft is concerned, especially for the product handicraft. The art has been passed on from one generation to another, families devoting their lives for the arts progress. It has been the means of livelihood for millions of people. Lately the charisma of the art has started to fade. In the export market where some European countries, China, Malaysia, Japan have more than 15% share each in the world export market Indian handicraft has only 2.3%. We did surveys to assess the problems in the growth of the industry. The main problem we found were 1)Ignorance of artisans of trends in the market 2) Many middle men taking profits leaving little for the artisans and their family 3) Artisans caught in the vicious cycle of poverty preventing them to educate their children 4) Poor marketing and sales structure 5) High prices and ambiguity in products.
Through Fusion Craft we train the artisans for the trend and taste in the market. We directly employ the artisans rather them keeping them on work basis. We look after the education of the children and give them training for new technology which helps in improving their art. We also provide a safe and healthy working environment for them to work.
What is innovative about your initiative? How is it a new contribution to the field?
Our innovation is at 2 levels, on the product and on the marketing and sales level. From the survey we found out that as far as the domestic market is concerned the Indian product handicraft is not able to cater to the taste and utility of the new generation. Abstract art is slowly becoming popular among the people due to their taste. Indian handicraft's signature is the art work which is done on the products. We found that if the aesthetic art and work is used on the products designed for utility and with the tastes of the new generation the domestic market will buy the products. We have a team which designs the products and then the artisans manufacture them. The artisans are employed by the venture and kept on the contract basis for soem projects only. This gives them a constant source of income and opportunity to grow. On the marketing side we looked for alternative markets where the products can be sold. We found that with proper design intervention the producst can be very good gift products and can be easily sold as corporate gifts. In the institutions, corporate world and in normal gift market the products can be sold easily. We go to the companies where the requirement is and based on their demand we make customized products for the clients. This way the products are totally customized and new. The products are made by the artisans using their art The final product is the Fusion of modern design and traditional art. All the products of the venture are very well packed and are third party certified for the material being used.
What stage is your project in?
Operating for 1‐5 years
Tell us about the community that you engage? eg. economic conditions, political structures, norms and values, demographic trends, history, and experience with engagement efforts.
Before the venture was incorporated we spent couple of months with the community we were going to engage with. Our stay gave a lot of insight of their life and how one can help them.The community Fusion Craft aims to help is the artisan community and the labour community which is associated with the handicraft sector. The community is made up of families for whom preserving and taking the art and culture from one century to other has been the only work they have known. Their dedication towards the art and its appreciation by older generations did not made them look for other sources of income. Hence the art has been passed from one generation to another. With middlemen coming in the picture they started depending on them fro work who would bring them work. Lack of proper knowledge and exposure led them into a cycle of poverty and exploitation. Their art does fetch good revenue and prices but they are still unable to sustain their families because mostly the share goes to middlemen. Lack of capital and knowledge keeps them under the mercy of the local exporters and middlemen who bring them work. They cannot afford education and in order to sustain themselves the whole family, women as well as small children also work. They work from their homes under very unhealthy environment which often leads to accidents leaving them disabled. We not only provides them with a decent working environment but also looks after the education of their children. We employ them on salary basis giving them continuous source of income besides getting them health checks.
Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project
The venture was founded by 2 IIT-Kanpur graduates while still in their graduation program. Late Mr. Mohit Aggarwal and Mr. Ankit Singh founded the venture in Nov'09.
Mr. Mohit Aggarwal was pursuing his graduation in Economics from IIT-K. He belonged to a small business family in Dehradun and dreamt of having a venture of his own. Ankit is B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT-K. The likes of Mr. Ratan Tata and Mr. Narayan Murthy inspired him from childhood and he also pursued a dream of having a venture of his own.
While on a trip for a course project both had to go to Moradabad. The project was related to the Indian handicraft industry. The trip to the city was an eye opener. It completely changed our view that Indian handicraft industry is flourishing and the efforts being done by government and numerous NGO's and SFG's are paying off. A walk through the city and talking with the artisans and seeing their working condition showed us the real picture. Small children, old people and women all were seen working in the family. We hardly saw children going to school. The income of family varied from INR 3000-5000. The trip wa sa short one. We came back and planned a longer trip and thought of covering more places to get the real picture. We thought may be this is limited to Moradabad. This time we covered Saharanpur,Khurja,Jodhpur,Jaipur,Kishengarh. The picture was same. We did a survey after that to assess the problem on the consumer side and another survey to assess the problem on supply side.We talked to people in government and academic and then started the venture
Social Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured
The venture was growing fine both in terms of the revenue it was generating and the vision it was fulfilling.Within the first 6 months of the incorporation, the venture generated a profit of 1.5 Lakhs. During this tenure we catered to institutes like IIT-Kanpur festivals, State Bank of India,Deutsche Bank, Inter IIT Sports meet. Besides this we employed 5 artisans.
We got 2 children to school and look after their education and all the expenses. Sadly in April '10 one of the co-founder met with an accident and lost his life. This was a setback for the venture and a shock for the other founder. The sudden death of the co-founder was a shock which took some time to recover from.
Since then the venture has been doing well and we got another 2 children admitted to the school and look after their education.
How many people have been impacted by your project?
Fewer than 100
How many people could be impacted by your project in the next three years?
101- 1,000
How will your project evolve over the next three years?
The venture is planning on setting up a workshop in the Moradabad city wherin people can work. This will allow us to hire more and more people.
On the demand side the venture is going to more and more corporates for the contracts and being IIT-K, graduates gives us an access to a good alumni base.
From Next year the venture will go in partnership with local gift shops and will keep their products at their shops. After two years when the venture has got a brand name and the product handicraft starts getting identified by Fusion Craft, we will set up our own shops for B2C business. Throughout this time the venture will continue on its B2B business wherein more and more corporate3s will be contacted for their assignments.
After 4 years time venture will look for export markets.
Sustainability
What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?
Tell us about your partnerships
Approximately 200 words left (1600 characters)
Current annual budget of project, in US dollars
$10,001‐50,000
Explain your selections
The initial startup cost of the venture was INR 1 Lakh. The money came from the co-founders and friends. We took part in competitions which helped in getting some money. Once the venture started the venture was self sustainable. The co-founders did not draw salary and the expenses incurred was only for salary of the artisan and the education of the children.
How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?
We are looking for some loans from the bank to make our work shop. With the loan we would be able to get in better facilities and better equipments.
Through the workshop we would be able to take more and bigger assignments and will be able to employ more people.
This will also allow us to setup shops and stores of Fusion Craft where products keeping in mind the middle class and the occasions will be kept and this will allow the venture to have a better and more consumer base and will get a brand name for the venture.
Once the venture gets a name in the domestic market the venture will look to foreign markets by targeting the countries where the market hasn't saturated as far as the Indian product handicraft is concerned.
During the starting the venture started with only the metal artefacts, but with growth of the venture we will take in other art forms like wood, glass, ceramic, terracota etc to help more and more artisans.
Challenges
Which barriers to employment does your innovation address?
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.
PRIMARY
Restricted access to new markets
SECONDARY
Inadequate transparency
TERTIARY
Lack of skills/training
Please describe how your innovation specifically tackles the barriers listed above.
The venture has a team of designers from reputed colleges of India and a marketing team. The team designs products based on the trends, requirement and demand in the market and the clients. The artisans are then briefed about the requirements and the design trends.The artisans are also trained for the usage of new technology to make their work safe and efficient. The artisans are employed on the salary basis. We have people from Moradabad who serve in the administration team and thus we maintain the transparency about the products sale prices. The children of the artisans are looked after by the venture giving more trust to the artisans. The designers are in touch with the artisans and explain them the new trends. This helps designers design easy to manufacture and cost effective products.
Are you trying to scale your organization or initiative?
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.
PRIMARY
Grown geographic reach: Within host country
SECONDARY
Enhanced existing impact through addition of complementary services
TERTIARY
Grown geographic reach: Multi-country
Please describe which of your growth activities are current or planned for the immediate future.
Right now the venture is fully focused to get itself established in the corporate sector. The B2B business is one of the major source of revenue for the venture as we are targeting alternative markets for the sale of the products. We are publicizing ourselves in more and more companies. Besides this we are trying to involve more and more artisans in the venture and help their children and their families. With growth in market and name in corporate world we will look for B2C business and overseas markets for the export. The B2C business through local gift shops and Fusion Craft shops will give bigger customer base and will generate revenue which will help in getting more and more crafts under the umbrella of Fusion Craft.
Do you collaborate with any of the following: (Check all that apply)
For profit companies, Academia/universities.
If yes, how have these collaborations helped your innovation to succeed?
The above ticked are the potential customers for the venture. these are the institutions and places where the requirement for souvenirs and momentos as always there. Getting them manufactured in Indian handicraft and the new fusion product with utility and aesthetic value can easily substitute the present gift trend products. Our experience with the past clients and institutions and our survey results showed the presence of the market and the willingness for the acceptance of such products thus giving us confidence to approach more and more clients with our products. With support from our alumni network and colleagues who are well placed in corporate world getting to clients become a bit easy. This gives us advantage as we not only bring a new genre of product but go to client .
 | 51 weeks agoAnkit Singh said: Hello Fan Li, Thank you for the time you took to go through the entry. The site is down fro maintenance and upgrading and will be up ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 51 weeks agoFan Li said: Hi Ankit, I clicked on your URL but it leads to a platform where I get lost. Maybe you can explain a bit more on this. It would be nice ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 52 weeks agoAnkit Singh said: Hello everyone, please do comment on the Fusion Craft. It's important for me to get critical reviews, analysis and feedbacks. It helps ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 54 weeks agoAnkit Singh updated this Competition Entry. |
| 54 weeks agoAnkit Singh updated this Competition Entry. |
| 55 weeks agoAnkit Singh updated this Competition Entry. |
| 55 weeks agoAnkit Singh submitted this idea. |
