The Design Village: An Industry-Centric Design Institute, Generating Unique Designers To Impact Lives Through Design
Dr. Latika Chaudhary, Associate Dean, Outreach & Operations, Mudita Pasari, Associate Dean, Academics, Mridu Sahai, Founding Member Vatsal Agrawal, Associate Dean, Executive Affair
Despite the rise in popularity of fashion courses and the number of colleges that offer them, most experts agree that fashion education has not kept up with the change and elasticity expected from a fashion system. Today, the volatility of the changes in the field of Fashion calls for a programme which can develop designers who are capable of dealing with these changes. Based out of Noida, India, The Design Village - TDV is an interdisciplinary, industry-centric design institute which believes that its students should not only be equipped to respond to the present but specialize in responding to the unknowns of tomorrow. A renowned institute, The Design Village gets its name as ’The’ which emphasizes on the aspiration to be a premier centre, ‘Design’ signifies the focus of this centre and the ‘Village’ brings in the flavour of a mix – that of institutes, associations, studios, industries, students and faculty all co-existing, cooperating and collaborating within a whole.
For TDV, design does not only solve problems of today, but also proposes new ways for the future. The students at TDV learn - how to dream that dream, how to understand the future and how to take responsibility for shaping the world. “At TDV, we aim to nurture and educate individuals by not limiting them to any particular field of design. Students may choose to not specialize in a particular discipline, but can be manifestation independent non-silo designers who can impact and change the world through design in any and every medium imaginable, echoing the ethos that a good designer can design anything. The idea for The Design Village was initiated in 2010 when an extensive worldwide research was undertaken by core-team members to study the design education landscape and the future of the profession. Following this in 2012, with encouragement from the Dutch government, a curriculum team was formed with professors from TU Delft in the Netherlands and in 2014, The Design Village commenced its first batch of post-graduate students”, speaks Mridu Sahai, Founding Member, The Design Village.
Creating Multifaceted Responsible Designers
Today, the way the fashion industry is moving, the discipline is no more about simply making the best looking garment. It is also about innovation in materiality and textiles, looking at sustainable processes, generating enough jobs and reducing worldwide wastage. Keeping these multi layered expectations from the designers of tomorrow, the students of The Design Village are given the opportunity to experiment with both conventional and unconventional ideas and materials. Learning to look for opportunities, where others would simply perceive problems, the students are being challenged to innovate new materials and techniques. From weaving unconventional fabric, to constructing multifaceted fashion accessories or garments, to questioning the norms of today and designing for the societies of 2030 and beyond — TDV’s students get a chance to experiment with it all.
At The Design Village, the focus of the Fashion and Textile Design programme is to equip the students with tools and techniques which can help them to become a designer who doesn’t only solve problems of today but also proposes new ways for the future. The Design Village offers seven options in Bachelors of Design in Fashion and Textile Design, Product Design, Space and Interior Design, Graphic and Communication Design, Interaction Design, Transportation and Mobility Design, and a manifestation independent B. Des, while the Masters of Design programmes are offered in Fashion and Textile Design, Product Design, Space and Interior Design, Graphic and Communication Design.
“The Bachelor in Fashion and Textile Design programme at TDV encompasses the two seemingly specialist fields of fashion and textile design into one by highlighting their inherent relationship and enabling students to look at this realm holistically. The programme questions the stereotypical definitions of Fashion and what is commonly perceived as Fashion Design studies. It follows an integrated approach where students look at the domain of fashion in the larger context of India and the world. This helps to bring together the concepts and values of sustainability, environmental studies and living traditions. The curriculum helps in sensitizing students towards consumption and confronts them with the responsibility that has to be taken for this cause. The versatile curriculum of the programme allows it to be the leading fashion designing course in Delhi and TDV to be one of the foremost and forward looking fashion designing institutes in Delhi. TDV pushes the students to discover and embrace the relationship of fashion with other sectors. Our students do not look at fashion as merely a passing trend, but rather a way of life”, says Mudita Pasari, Associate Dean, Academics, The Design Village.
The curriculum for Bachelor’s degree in Fashion and Textile Design is designed in such a way that over a course of four years, students will become aware of themselves and their values. They will understand what they consider important in the world and how to let this drive their design education. This gives students the freedom to choose what kind of fashion designers they want to become as they evolve.
In addition to the above courses, TDV has a unique curation of modules like Implications of Design, Conceptual Aesthetics, Conflicting concerns, Context Mapping, Design for Values, and many more. Each of these courses ensure that the student has a holistic learning experience, looking at design as not merely a manifestation but an intervention in the larger systems of being.
Leading with a Unique Pedagogical Model
The Design Village has taken time to arrive at a pedagogy that is simple enough to be transferable yet profound enough to be timeless. In essence, TDV is a design institute conceived and run by design professionals in the field, so that education is more embedded into the reality of the future. “We are fortunate to have an ecosystem where the institute co-exists with various design organizations in and around its campus. These include – an architecture studio, an experience design firm, a concrete lab, a furniture workshop and a social entrepreneurship venture among others. Therefore, innovation through chance encounters and surprise interactions are a part and parcel of TDV”, adds Latika Chaudhary, Associate Dean, Operations & Outreach, The Design Village.
“At the design village, the focus of the fashion and textile design programme is to equip the students with tools and techniques which can help them to become industry ready designers”
In material driven courses, students at TDV are enabled to understand the entire product cycle through – Making, Surfaces and Manifestation modules. As their names indicate, the modules pan across the entire gamut of fashion and textiles right from understanding the cultural context of the production of yarn, weaving/knitting of fabric, employing various traditional and contemporary practices of surface techniques to the actual manifestation of textiles without being limited to just garments or lifestyle products. “TDV’s International Board of professors and professionals ensures that the philosophy flows seamlessly in the institute’s activities and focuses on actively elevating the quality of education through multiple activities like Faculty Development Master classes, constant review and updation of the pedagogical delivery”, mentions Latika.
Promising Equal and Quality Learning Opportunity for All
TDV offers multiple merit based scholarships giving students the option of earning scholarships in the first year through performing exceptionally well in the entrance exam. At the beginning of each academic year, students have the opportunity to earn merit based scholarships by being in the top 20% of the class. TDV also offers multiple need based scholarships, one of which is the founders scholarship, for which a student can apply at any time.
“We pride ourselves on being able to curate numerous possibilities to offer diverse international exposure opportunities to students and staff, giving them the best learning experience possible. International faculty members offer dedicated masterclasses to students owing to our strong collaboration with professors of TuDelft in the Netherlands. During the pandemic, we welcomed an array of faculty to share online lectures on a variety of topics like Aesthetics, Social Design, Behavioural Change, Design for Happiness etc— allowing students to absorb diverse opinions and benchmark international standards”, Vatsal Agrawal, Associate Dean, Executive Affairs, The Design Village.
Students at TDV get curated design travel opportunities through our inhouse initiative of Dtours India – aimed to spread awareness of architecture, design, art and culture through travel. Through this initiative, the students have travelled extensively to countries in Europe and even Japan. Such experiences have been extremely humbling and empowering for them. “Every student at TDV is also encouraged to study abroad for a semester. A selection of courses at partnering schools like L’école de Design Nantes Atlantique, enable students to look at the Indian context with a refreshed perspective while working in a foreign country”, adds Vatsal.
Promising a Brighter Future Ahead
India holds around 14 percent share in the production of textile fibres and yarn, and around 63 percent share in loom production in the global market. These figures indicate the scope in Indian market. After graduating as Bachelor of Fashion Design, a student can choose a career as Fashion Designer, Textile Designer, Lifestyle Designer, Fashion Blogger, Brand Manager, Fashion Merchandiser, Illustrator, Stylist, Journalist, Photographer, Publicist, Costume Designer, Fashion Consultant and Curator, Visual Merchandiser, Design Entrepreneur, Design Researcher, Design Thinker and Manager, Strategy and Systems Designer, Social Designer, Chief Design Officer, Chief Creative Officer.
Today, the world around us is changing rapidly, and The Design Village prides itself on being the forerunners in educating the designers of tomorrow. As mentioned before, TDV’s pedagogical model is future looking and does not limit design education to that of the predefined silos. It believes in providing the freedom of learning to all villagers and encourages students to be the designers they want to be.
“Our unique model allows us to update course offerings every academic year and make them more relevant to our times. We continue to add courses like Speculative Futures, Sustainability and Entrepreneurship. We even have had a chance to do unique projects like designing trendy and textile driven ankle weights for workouts, or innovating new materials and fabric with waste from other processes. All such projects are looking at how the world will be in the coming years, rather than only looking at what we live in today. At TDV, we believe in encouraging students to balance their work between being an idealist and realist. Keeping this legacy in mind, we have also launched two M. Des Executive programs, which are especially designed for professionals who would like to nudge their careers in a field of their choice”, shares Mridu Sahai.
What started out as an idea in 2010 is now a thriving international community of creative students, facilitators, enthusiasts, professors and professionals, who believe that design has the power to change the world. Future designers are thinkers and doers, who do not simply add decoration but change the way of life. TDV provides a ripe ecosystem for this development and ambition.
For TDV, design does not only solve problems of today, but also proposes new ways for the future. The students at TDV learn - how to dream that dream, how to understand the future and how to take responsibility for shaping the world. “At TDV, we aim to nurture and educate individuals by not limiting them to any particular field of design. Students may choose to not specialize in a particular discipline, but can be manifestation independent non-silo designers who can impact and change the world through design in any and every medium imaginable, echoing the ethos that a good designer can design anything. The idea for The Design Village was initiated in 2010 when an extensive worldwide research was undertaken by core-team members to study the design education landscape and the future of the profession. Following this in 2012, with encouragement from the Dutch government, a curriculum team was formed with professors from TU Delft in the Netherlands and in 2014, The Design Village commenced its first batch of post-graduate students”, speaks Mridu Sahai, Founding Member, The Design Village.
Creating Multifaceted Responsible Designers
Today, the way the fashion industry is moving, the discipline is no more about simply making the best looking garment. It is also about innovation in materiality and textiles, looking at sustainable processes, generating enough jobs and reducing worldwide wastage. Keeping these multi layered expectations from the designers of tomorrow, the students of The Design Village are given the opportunity to experiment with both conventional and unconventional ideas and materials. Learning to look for opportunities, where others would simply perceive problems, the students are being challenged to innovate new materials and techniques. From weaving unconventional fabric, to constructing multifaceted fashion accessories or garments, to questioning the norms of today and designing for the societies of 2030 and beyond — TDV’s students get a chance to experiment with it all.
At The Design Village, the focus of the Fashion and Textile Design programme is to equip the students with tools and techniques which can help them to become a designer who doesn’t only solve problems of today but also proposes new ways for the future. The Design Village offers seven options in Bachelors of Design in Fashion and Textile Design, Product Design, Space and Interior Design, Graphic and Communication Design, Interaction Design, Transportation and Mobility Design, and a manifestation independent B. Des, while the Masters of Design programmes are offered in Fashion and Textile Design, Product Design, Space and Interior Design, Graphic and Communication Design.
“The Bachelor in Fashion and Textile Design programme at TDV encompasses the two seemingly specialist fields of fashion and textile design into one by highlighting their inherent relationship and enabling students to look at this realm holistically. The programme questions the stereotypical definitions of Fashion and what is commonly perceived as Fashion Design studies. It follows an integrated approach where students look at the domain of fashion in the larger context of India and the world. This helps to bring together the concepts and values of sustainability, environmental studies and living traditions. The curriculum helps in sensitizing students towards consumption and confronts them with the responsibility that has to be taken for this cause. The versatile curriculum of the programme allows it to be the leading fashion designing course in Delhi and TDV to be one of the foremost and forward looking fashion designing institutes in Delhi. TDV pushes the students to discover and embrace the relationship of fashion with other sectors. Our students do not look at fashion as merely a passing trend, but rather a way of life”, says Mudita Pasari, Associate Dean, Academics, The Design Village.
The curriculum for Bachelor’s degree in Fashion and Textile Design is designed in such a way that over a course of four years, students will become aware of themselves and their values. They will understand what they consider important in the world and how to let this drive their design education. This gives students the freedom to choose what kind of fashion designers they want to become as they evolve.
In addition to the above courses, TDV has a unique curation of modules like Implications of Design, Conceptual Aesthetics, Conflicting concerns, Context Mapping, Design for Values, and many more. Each of these courses ensure that the student has a holistic learning experience, looking at design as not merely a manifestation but an intervention in the larger systems of being.
Leading with a Unique Pedagogical Model
The Design Village has taken time to arrive at a pedagogy that is simple enough to be transferable yet profound enough to be timeless. In essence, TDV is a design institute conceived and run by design professionals in the field, so that education is more embedded into the reality of the future. “We are fortunate to have an ecosystem where the institute co-exists with various design organizations in and around its campus. These include – an architecture studio, an experience design firm, a concrete lab, a furniture workshop and a social entrepreneurship venture among others. Therefore, innovation through chance encounters and surprise interactions are a part and parcel of TDV”, adds Latika Chaudhary, Associate Dean, Operations & Outreach, The Design Village.
“At the design village, the focus of the fashion and textile design programme is to equip the students with tools and techniques which can help them to become industry ready designers”
In material driven courses, students at TDV are enabled to understand the entire product cycle through – Making, Surfaces and Manifestation modules. As their names indicate, the modules pan across the entire gamut of fashion and textiles right from understanding the cultural context of the production of yarn, weaving/knitting of fabric, employing various traditional and contemporary practices of surface techniques to the actual manifestation of textiles without being limited to just garments or lifestyle products. “TDV’s International Board of professors and professionals ensures that the philosophy flows seamlessly in the institute’s activities and focuses on actively elevating the quality of education through multiple activities like Faculty Development Master classes, constant review and updation of the pedagogical delivery”, mentions Latika.
Promising Equal and Quality Learning Opportunity for All
TDV offers multiple merit based scholarships giving students the option of earning scholarships in the first year through performing exceptionally well in the entrance exam. At the beginning of each academic year, students have the opportunity to earn merit based scholarships by being in the top 20% of the class. TDV also offers multiple need based scholarships, one of which is the founders scholarship, for which a student can apply at any time.
“We pride ourselves on being able to curate numerous possibilities to offer diverse international exposure opportunities to students and staff, giving them the best learning experience possible. International faculty members offer dedicated masterclasses to students owing to our strong collaboration with professors of TuDelft in the Netherlands. During the pandemic, we welcomed an array of faculty to share online lectures on a variety of topics like Aesthetics, Social Design, Behavioural Change, Design for Happiness etc— allowing students to absorb diverse opinions and benchmark international standards”, Vatsal Agrawal, Associate Dean, Executive Affairs, The Design Village.
Students at TDV get curated design travel opportunities through our inhouse initiative of Dtours India – aimed to spread awareness of architecture, design, art and culture through travel. Through this initiative, the students have travelled extensively to countries in Europe and even Japan. Such experiences have been extremely humbling and empowering for them. “Every student at TDV is also encouraged to study abroad for a semester. A selection of courses at partnering schools like L’école de Design Nantes Atlantique, enable students to look at the Indian context with a refreshed perspective while working in a foreign country”, adds Vatsal.
Promising a Brighter Future Ahead
India holds around 14 percent share in the production of textile fibres and yarn, and around 63 percent share in loom production in the global market. These figures indicate the scope in Indian market. After graduating as Bachelor of Fashion Design, a student can choose a career as Fashion Designer, Textile Designer, Lifestyle Designer, Fashion Blogger, Brand Manager, Fashion Merchandiser, Illustrator, Stylist, Journalist, Photographer, Publicist, Costume Designer, Fashion Consultant and Curator, Visual Merchandiser, Design Entrepreneur, Design Researcher, Design Thinker and Manager, Strategy and Systems Designer, Social Designer, Chief Design Officer, Chief Creative Officer.
Today, the world around us is changing rapidly, and The Design Village prides itself on being the forerunners in educating the designers of tomorrow. As mentioned before, TDV’s pedagogical model is future looking and does not limit design education to that of the predefined silos. It believes in providing the freedom of learning to all villagers and encourages students to be the designers they want to be.
“Our unique model allows us to update course offerings every academic year and make them more relevant to our times. We continue to add courses like Speculative Futures, Sustainability and Entrepreneurship. We even have had a chance to do unique projects like designing trendy and textile driven ankle weights for workouts, or innovating new materials and fabric with waste from other processes. All such projects are looking at how the world will be in the coming years, rather than only looking at what we live in today. At TDV, we believe in encouraging students to balance their work between being an idealist and realist. Keeping this legacy in mind, we have also launched two M. Des Executive programs, which are especially designed for professionals who would like to nudge their careers in a field of their choice”, shares Mridu Sahai.
What started out as an idea in 2010 is now a thriving international community of creative students, facilitators, enthusiasts, professors and professionals, who believe that design has the power to change the world. Future designers are thinkers and doers, who do not simply add decoration but change the way of life. TDV provides a ripe ecosystem for this development and ambition.
