Designing for Dynamic Demands with Atul Apte
The fashion industry has seen massive changes throughout the years and has a customer base that is constantly increasing. With not one but multiple channels to keep track of, designers also need to keep an eye out for new trends to create exciting and relevant new collections. But with such a diverse set of consumers, understanding the needs and usage patterns of each group is a humongous task. So how can designers deliver innovative products by keeping up with the evolving trends?
In the 71st episode, to learn more about this theme, we interact with Atul Apte, Chief Product Officer at Raymond Apparel Ltd. With over two decades of experience in the Indian Apparel Industry, he is a Fashion design professional with expertise in building Design Collections and strong fashion concepts in men’s and women’s wear along with a strong knowledge of innovative silhouette and fabric. He has vast knowledge about integrating technical, commercial, and design aspects to develop commercially viable Design Collections. Let’s know more about his journey and experience in the latest episode of “MIT Designeering Series Podcast,” “Designing for Dynamic Demands.”
Rohit Lalwani: It is not comfortable being a designer. Much of the time we would be on our screens, which inevitably raises the hours on the screen when we are not educated or prepared for it. A lot of people do not understand how stressful this can be. The audience wishes to know, what are some of the precautions that can be taken by designers to maintain their physical as well as mental health?
Atul: It is extremely important for designers to maintain their physical and mental health. The new normal is here and most of the professionals have adapted to this new way of working, which was not even in existence. Designers have also got impacted by this new way of working to a great extent.
Any designer or creative person does not like to be restricted to four walls and wants to see, explore, go out, meet people, converse or draw inspiration to satisfy their creative urge. They get inspired by seeing some new things, new surroundings, and involving themselves in the environment.
Being close to nature, they get inspired by the colors of nature. But needless to say, the digital way of being is going to be here. Therefore, we look forward to well-balanced, indoor and outdoor sessions that will certainly help to maintain the physical, mental. If indoors, and the long hours on-screen, while maintaining the safety protocols, you can follow a twenty-twenty rule every twenty minutes, shift the eyes to look at the object at least twenty feet away, or for at least twenty seconds. This helps your eyes to get relaxed. When you are indoors, you can indulge in some DIY projects or take up your hobbies. That will definitely bring mental wellness.
Rohit Lalwani: Managing a legacy brand is an exciting challenge. It is like a two-way sword. One has to maintain the legacy and keep serving the loyal customers as well as innovate to address the changing trends and new customers also on the horizon. I wish to know, how does the designer strike a balance between both these worlds, the existing set of customers and the new customers who are also there?
Atul: When you have to maintain a legacy brand, but also, look at the new set of customers who are walking in. How would a designer strike a balance? While designing a collection, it is important for designers or product teams to work on the range architecture. It may be a merchandise pyramid or some key elements have to be kept in mind as we progress and we will talk about it.
While building a collection, it is important that we need to bifurcate the collections into very classic pieces.
Look at fashion or fashion plus pieces of these segments, but most important is that, I always encourage designers to speak to the consumers directly, with the loyal or the new consumer, because there will always be a real need and latent need or any functional need, which sometimes consumers cannot explain.
Designers have to think through these needs and provide the solution. It is very important for designers to listen to consumers and make inferences from it. While designing the collection, they have to maintain the brand’s salience. The brand handwriting is going to be particularly important and it has to be reflected in each piece you design. Some of the key elements, which every customer will pay attention to, would be comfort, color, and craftsmanship. Loyal consumers are loyal. Customers do not shy away from buying fashion pieces.
It is all about communicating with consumers more and more, understanding the latent or real needs, and then creating a collection that is suitable for them.
Rohit Lalwani: Sustainability is a rising concern of brands, equipment, and fabric manufacturers and consumers, stakeholders. There has been a greater push for water-saving, durability, and waste management, as well as reduced emissions and carbon footprints. Would you brief us on how we can integrate sustainable practices at all levels of the design and development phase?
Atul: Sustainability is going to be the future and will become a way of life. It has been a rising concern among brands. As creators, designers will play an extremely important role and will bring sustainable practices in the early stage of product development.
This pandemic has brought sustainability in sharp focus in various organizations and it is also around us. A lot of discussions and actions are now on looking at the core consumptions and on conservation of natural resources. As we all are aware that the textile and apparel industry is one of the most polluting industries and is responsible for the increase in waste, and consumes a large amount of water and energy while processing the whole fabrics or garments. This is creating a big impact on the environment.
Right from conceptualization or at the early inception of product development designers will be carefully looking at the stage of this process. Designers need to continuously demand and decode the product development process and involve themselves right from raw material selection to manufacturing of the final product when it goes on the shelf, how does it get communicated? Is it really touching the hearts of millions of consumers? A careful selection of raw materials at an early stage from fiber, yarn, or ethically grown natural fibers, yarns from recycled or repurposed materials, which have to be converted into fabrics, or which require less water for coloring or dying are eco-friendly. They need to continuously look for fabrics, which have been produced with less water, and there is less conservation of energy fabrics, which have been given special finishes. Each requires less maintenance and falls into easy-care categories, and does not require frequent washing ironing. Therefore in some way or the other, you are creating a sustainable product.
Also, look at the product which is made in the manufacturing plants or units which give importance to fair labor practices or which takes care of the living and working conditions. Units that pay attention to the conservation of natural resources and follow fair practices of this management waste management and recycling then create a very interesting, sustainable story.
Rohit Lalwani: At the MIT group of institutions, we follow a philosophy called “Designeering”, a special mix of design and engineering. What I wish to know from you is do you think these concepts could go together and help young designers create something outstanding?
Atul: The concept of designeering really is a mix of design and engineering. When you put exploration or creation and mix it with the defined processes and position as an engineering and with collaboration and teamwork, the results would be definitely outstanding. In order to find solutions to the problem, a systematic approach and defined processes will certainly help our organization to grow multiform.
Our speaker Atul has given us deeper insights into the fields of Design. To know more, head onto our full Podcast episode. For more details, do visit our profile.
