Iti Tyagi is an Indian designer and social entrepreneur. In 2015, she set up Craft Village which aims to connect artisans making handicrafts directly with buyers and patrons. She received the 2018 Nari Shakti Puraskar in recognition for her work empowering women.
Iti Tyagi | |
|---|---|
.jpg) receiving the 2018 Nari Shakti Puraskar | |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | National Institute of Fashion Technology |
| Occupation | designer |
| Known for | fashion designer using cement in her work |
| Spouse | Somesh Singh |
Early life
editIti Tyagi studied Fashion Design and Clothing Technology at the National Institute of Fashion Technology.[1] She then studied interior design at the KLC School of Design in London.[2]
Career
editTyagi is a designer in the fields of metalwork, woodwork, glassblowing and embroidery, and is also interested in sustainable development.[3] In 2017 and 2018, her work was featured in two Craft Béton luxury collections centred around the use of cement.[4][5] This resulted in a 2020 partnership to source producers making items for Craft Béton's Delhi gallery.[6] In 2019, she exhibited a table made from cement in the Louis Quinze style.[2] She has also worked with the National Institute of Design and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute.[1]
She began the social enterprise Craft Village with her husband Somesh Singh in 2015, aiming to put people making handicrafts directly in contact with buyers,[7][8] thus helping rural artisans to meet urban patrons.[9] She also set up India Craft Week, International Craft Day and the International Craft Awards.[8] The Indian handicrafts industry is expected to be worth $60 billion by the year 2024, and in the 2018–2019 financial year, the revenue of Craft Village was ₹26,700,000 (equivalent to ₹33,179,131 in 2023).[8] Through Craft Village, Tyagi trained handicrafts workers from Balakatti, Firozabad, Kutch, Moradabad and Saharanpur.[10]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tyagi designed cement fabric personal protective equipment (PPE) suits for health professionals which are made from 50% natural and 50% synthetic materials. These suits have less environmental impact when disposed of, since normal suits are 100% synthetic.[11] The third edition of India Craft Week went online for 2020.[12]
In 2021 Indian Craft Week returned to being an in person event at the British Council Building and the Bikaner House in New Delhi.It was arranged in partnership with the British Council.[13]
Animal rights
editTyagi founded the group Pet Parents Association which promotes the rights of pets and their owners. She was motivated by her experiences as a dog owner living in Gurugram and New Delhi.[14] The group cares for stray dogs, promotes animal welfare and represents owners in disagreements with resident welfare associations.[14][15]
Awards and recognition
editRecognising her work empowering women, President Ram Nath Kovind presented Tyagi with the Nari Shakti Puraskar on International Women’s Day in 2019.[10] After receiving it she said "I urge every woman to come out of their shells and to break the stereotype".[10]
References
edit- ^ a b Staff writer (23 October 2019). "Craft Cues". Sakal Times. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ a b Bose, Indrani (17 February 2019). "Storytelling with cement: Designers are increasingly experimenting with cement". The Financial Express. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "Concrete love". The Asian Age. 26 November 2017. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ Shah, Devanshi (12 May 2017). "Let's talk about Bauhaus: new interpretations of cement". Architectural Digest India. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ Kale, Ridhi (12 January 2018). "Set in stone". India Today. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ Narayanan, Chitra (21 February 2020). "Who says cement is grey and stodgy?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ Shankar, Avantikar (18 December 2019). "Delhi: Here's a recap of India Craft Week that celebrated traditional craft practitioners from across the country". Architectural Digest India. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ a b c BW Online Bureau (14 March 2020). "Making Of A Craft Ecosystem". BW Businessworld. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ Staff writer (3 December 2018). "Craft Village has been established to bridge the gap between rural and urban communities: Iti Tyagi". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ a b c Staff writer (11 March 2019). "Iti Tyagi honoured with Nari Shakti Puraskar". The Statesman. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ Kashyaap, Sindhu (19 July 2020). "How Delhi's Craft Village is ensuring COVID warriors have 'concrete' PPE amidst the pandemic". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "Delhi's India crafts week goes digital amid coronavirus". The New Indian Express. Express News Service. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "RARE India partners with the India Craft Week 2021". Hotelier India. 16 February 2021.
- ^ a b Saksena, Shalini (17 March 2019). "Women of substance". The Pioneer. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ Tuli, Aanchal (29 May 2014). "A daily battle faced by pet owners in Gurgaon – Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2020.