Re-inventing fashion
Abinaya Devakumar's innovative and functional fashion designs have placed Chennai on a global map.
We are just four months into 2017 and already people from different walks of life have put Chennai on many prestigious global platforms. This time, it is Abinaya Devakumar, an architect and a product designer, who has done the country proud with her product — Carry Lit (a portable light-bag). Through this product, which is designed for her brand Lemniscate, she has become the only Indian to partake in one of the world’s largest trade fairs — Salone del Mobile at Milan, Italy. When the young designer was looking for portable light designs, she realised that no designer has come up with a functional design.
“My USP was to come up with a product that is in touch with current fashion trends and is also useful for travelling. I grew up seeing Indian products being used for multiple purposes — that was my inspiration. Carry Lit is a portable light-bag in which the light’s intensity can be modified through Blue- tooth,” she explains. In 2012, she attended Salone del Mobile to showcase her prototype as part of a college project. She shares, “Since then, my goal was to exhibit my work on an international platform that opens up different avenues. Out of 2,500 applicants, I was shortlisted and I was the only Indian this year.”
The expo, which is open for young designers under 35 years of age, can be attended by prospective investors, customers and the general public as well. My product garnered positive response and it was helpful in taking their feedback for the refinement of the product,” she fondly recalls. The prototype designing was completed in three months, says Abinaya. She goes on to add, “After applying to Salone del Mobile, I started designing my prototype. It is a self-funded project and we had financial constraints. I have to give it to my family and friends, who invested in my work. Another backlash we faced was the type of cloth we used initially. The first attempt was a disaster and we slowly picked it up!”
Within months, Abinaya has gotten several pre-booking offers for Carry Lit. “From the expo, many were willing to collaborate with me. So far, we have only one type of portable light-bag, so we are also working on waterproof solutions and using recyclable nylon cloth. I wanted to stick to the brand ideology and work toward sustainability. The final product launch will be held in August and we have also been invited to several other exhibitions in Milan, China, etc.,” she signs off.