Avani has long been collaborating with various Fashion Design Institutions to host students during their graduation projects. These collaborations are always a pleasure for both the interns and the Avani community, and they quickly become experiences full of mutual learning, friendship, and creative collaboration. This month, we welcomed three new interns to the Avani community: Aashi (right), Nittin (center) and Surjith (left). They’ve hardly been here a month and already their laughter has become an important part of Avani's everyday melody! We took time today to sit down with each intern to learn a little bit more about their backgrounds and design interests.
Aashi Verma
- Where are you from and where do you study? I’m from Kanpur, Uttar-Pradesh. I study at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Gandhinagar.
- Why are you here? Why did you choose to work with Avani? I’m basically here for my graduation project. I wanted to work with an NGO. I was keen to know more about how to implement sustainability in my work.
- What’s your project here? I’m working on two collections: a home furnishing line, and a textiles line that will include mufflers scarves and stoles.
- As a designer, what inspires you? Nature has always been my inspiration. I’ve taken the colors for my projects from the gradation of the mountains and from step-farming around Avani.
Some of Aashi's designs for scarves in the Avani office
Surjith Is
- Where are you from and where do you study? I’m from Kerala and currently studying PG textile designing at KSID, Kollab.
- Why are you here ? Why did you choose to work with Avani? I’m here for my Post-graduation project, which lasts four months. I would like to work with NGOs and with craftsmen. I especially love weaving as a craft.
- What’s your project here? I am making a men’s mufflers and stoles collection. I’m now doing exploration to make samples.
- As a designer, what inspires you? Nature, or more specifically the interactions between the hills, step-farming, pine-trees and the sky.
Nitin Gupta
- Where do you come from and where do you study? I come from Sultanpur, Uttar-Pradesh and study at NID, Gandhinagar.
- Why are you here? Why did you choose to work with Avani? I’m here until June for my ‘six month industry internship’ graduation project. I have always wanted to work with an NGO which works organically and on the concept of sustainability. I also wanted to explore the life of the hills.
- What is your project here? My main project is to make a menswear jacket collection using tweed fabrics and knitting. The second project is to create a workflow for the stitching unit.
- As a designer, what inspires you? Nature, sustainability, re-usability, up-cycling, handicrafts: these are the keywords on which I want to work and what inspires me.