Resumé

Email: shivanigakhar@gmail.com

CURRENTLY:
Co-Founder of Colourtribe, a Design and Services firm.
Colourtribe undertakes craft-research projects , as well as has its
own accessory / apparel product-portfolio

WORK EXPERIENCE::

Associate Designer - Research (June - December 2011)
Research & Publications Department, National Institute of Design
Researched, collected data and wrote content for the Golden Jubilee Book “50 Years of NID”

Head - Product Development (December 2009 - May 2011)
responsible for design and development of craft based lifestyle products
for Gaatha Handicrafts Pvt. Ltd (http://gaatha.com/) Ahmedabad

Editor / Creative Writer (December 2009 - May 2011)
for Gaatha Handicrafts Pvt. Ltd (http://gaatha.com/blog/), Ahmedabad

Empanelled Designer with the office of the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts, Govt. of India.

- Developed women’s wear designs using contemporary silhouettes in traditional hand crafted textiles
for Maati Crafts, Mumbai ( http://www.maaticrafts.com/ )

- Researched and Documented - The Patola, the Double Ikat silk textile of Gujarat for nomination at UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage for Inscriptions in 2010
(http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/)
with Outreach Programme, NID, Ahmedabad (Team Work)

- Designed and Developed a collection of Conference bags & accessories, tote bags and evening bags using Kutch crafts of Ajrakh block print fabric, Hand woven fabric and Leather punch work.
for Khamir Craft Resource Centre, Bhuj ( www.khamir.org )

ACADEMIC WORK:
- Designed and Prototyped Allen Solly Women’s wear collection
Autumn – Winter 2009-10
Diploma Project (NID): Madura Garments, Bangalore
June – October 2008

- Designed and Developed Women’s apparel in Organic Khadi, with
hand stitched decorative seam finishes.
Developed designs for Varanasi Silk with Classic Styles
Internship (NID): Upasana Design, Auroville
May - June 2007

- Complete Survey of Ladies’ Western Wear Department in the
Splash Concept at Lifestyle, New Delhi.
Role
Defining Consumer Profile, Catchment area, Specific needs and Rating of the
Department. SWOT analysis of the Department vis-à-vis Competitors and a
list of “Must- haves” & “Have-nots” for the Department
Diploma Project (NIFT): Lifestyle, New Delhi
January – May 2006

- Stitched a men’s coat as per design template specifications
Compiled a complete Manual for stitching a coat
Monitored consumption of shell & lining fabric to reduce fabric wastage
Assisted in Inventory Management for the fabric store
Internship (NIFT): Gokaldas Images, Bangalore (English Blazer, Tailored Division)
May – July 2005

ACADEMIC PROJECTS AT NID:
- Term Garment: Learnt the design process from inspiration to conceptualizing and executing a collection of ensembles.
- T-shirt graphics: Developed print designs for the festival of Uttarayan
- Design Project 1: Designed and Prototyped Stress Relief interactive apparel which utilized visual and tactile senses to trace embroidered puzzles on the garment.
Learnt problem solving under defined constraints and target clients.
- Design Project 2: Designed costumes for characters of a play using only
square pieces of fabric for garment construction.

EDUCATION:
- Post Graduate Diploma in Apparel Design & Merchandising
NID, Ahmedabad - 2009
- Post Graduate Diploma in Fashion Management Studies
NIFT, Bangalore - 2006
- Bachelor of Arts
Jesus & Mary College, Delhi University - 2003

METHODS:
- Trend Forecasting
- Design Conceptualization
- Sketching & Digital Illustration
- Pattern Making & Draping
- Surface Development & Print Design
- Garment Construction
- Documentation & Creative Writing

TOOLS:
- Corel Draw
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- MS Office
- SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences)

LANGUAGES:
- English & Hindi - Fluent in Reading and Writing
- French - DELF A1 Level completed

Projects by Shivani Gakhar

Illustrations
23 Files

From scrap
7 Files

Kutch crafts - Bags and accessories for KHAMIR
10 Files

Designs for Maati Crafts
5 Files

Gaatha Handicrafts
16 Files

Diploma Project
6 Files

Costume Design
5 Files

Term Garment
3 Files

Interactive Apparel for Stress Relief
2 Files

Internship
3 Files

Miscellaneous Class Projects
5 Files