Monsoon 09 Textile Details

Many people have told me that my website should have a zoom facility so that they can see the texture of the fabric and some of the garment details. I was in such a hurry to get a website done within a certain budget that I didn't look into providing some of the options that you often see on websites that have online shopping (which is a pity because the photos don't always do justice to a garment made from fabric with so much depth). It's probably going to be a while before I get the website re-vamped again (it's a painful amount of micro-managing every time) and I know a home photography job isn't the best way to show the textile details, but here are some photos of the fabrics from the latest Monsoon Collection

Silk ikat woven in Andhra Pradesh for "Black Orchid".
Mud resist block printing done on tussar-cotton fabric in Kaladera, Rajasthan for "Cinched Kimono".

Soft cotton twill handwoven in Andhra Pradesh for "Comfort Skirt"

Jamdaani (the black motifs done by adding an extra weft by hand) on khadi cotton, handwoven in Andhra Pradesh for "Lady Bird"

Handwoven cotton with coloured ribs from Andhra Pradesh, for "Snapdragon".
Some of these photos have two fabrics to show other colour options in the same style.

Living and Learning

After a month of hurdles, I finally launched my Monsoon collection last week. The labour related issues, which I have written about in an earlier post, are common to the industry but just harder to deal with in a small scale business. What I hadn’t anticipated was how long it would take to work with my website developers on a new look for the site.

I wanted my website revamped because the first website was done in a hurry and many details were either overlooked or done in a shortsighted manner. The website developer I was working with had a full time job in Mumbai, so all our communication was either over email or over the phone late at night. When I figured that his design sense didn’t quite match mine, and that we were running out of time, I decided to do all the design myself and have him do the HTML programming. With my amateur Photoshop skills I created images of what I wanted every page to look like, and with his HTML skills (also amateur) he converted them to actual web pages. Granted, at the time I was desperate to get the job done and I didn’t search hard enough for someone who could have done the job better, but I ended up with a website that required a ton of work each time a new collection had to be uploaded (my kind and hardworking fiancé took care of these every time).

Things were so bad with the first round of programming (the programmer had actually uploaded the text parts of the website as images so they couldn’t be edited at all) that I ended up asking around for another developer just to re-do the programming that the first guy had done. Crazy, but true.

The second guy was from Bangalore and was referred to me by a friend of a friend. He was efficient and his turnaround time was incredibly fast. My fiancé and I were really happy with his work and he came across as very professional and responsible.

So, a few months ago when I was thinking about getting my website revamped for a more sophisticated and polished look, I naturally thought of the developer in Bangalore. The developer had a design partner and together they were to take on the job of giving my website a facelift in keeping with my brand image. Despite my attempts to get started on the job early however, I ended up with the same problem: I felt my design sensibilities were not understood. This forced me to come up with a lot of visuals using Photoshop, just like I had to the first time around. The one good thing that came out of the process of sending images, exchanging feedback and listening to the developers’ arguments for their designs is that it forced me to think outside my creative box. After all, I didn’t want to end up with a site that looked exactly like the old one in every way.

The result is a new website with a more polished look and a lot more interactivity than the old one. The downside is that uploading and updating new collections will still be tough (fortunately my fiancé is good with programming). I hope people will stay on the site for longer, read about the textile crafts in the leaning centre, and send me their feedback. The next time around, I’ll be sure to do my homework, take a look at all the websites the designers have done for other clients, and work well in advance. I also have to remember that as long as I have a strong opinion on something, I have to be prepared for heavy involvement, even if it means working out detailed layouts in Photoshop everyday just to communicate my ideas.

Below are screenshots of the old and new home page.