Jeremy Fritzhand
DIY Stuffed Toy Making
Conducted by Jeremy Fritzhand
Organized by Swarnim Startup and Innovation University
Description of the workshop
Jeremy Fritzhand will conduct the workshop in the format of a Do – it – Yourself exercise that aims to create an application of traditional Indian tribal crafts into toy making. This exercise is aimed at developing awareness on simple mechanisms that can be used to create indigenous stuff toys with a distinct Indian identity.
Profile Brief – Jeremy Fritzhand
Global entrepreneur Jeremy Fritzhand has spent the last decade building sustainable businesses with artisans, designers, and retailers around the world. He started his career building a grassroots artisan cooperative in Bagru India called Bagru Textiles from 2010 – 2013. After receiving an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management in 2014, he joined one of the largest global sourcing agencies for textiles and apparel working in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and China maximizing supply chains for large North American retailers. In 2016 he moved back to India to continue pursuing artisan driven initiatives in the block printing industry as the founder and managing director of Studio Bagru. The studio focuses on restoring the lost value of indigenous crafts and their incorporation in the design supply chain for different fashion and lifestyle products. He has been associated with design colleges across the world convening lectures and workshops for the learners interested in the contemporary applications of printing crafts. Coveted by National Geographic Magazine as one of the most responsible designers in 2020, Jeremy has also been honoured by the Outlook magazine for his contribution towards development of eco-tourism in India. Jeremy considers the studio as an entrepreneurial bridge to the artisans, where he and his local team provide support to designers wanting to work ethically and sustainably, helping them with sourcing, production and quality control. An example of Jeremy’s innovative approach is MAHILA PRINT, which recognizes the artisans’ design rights and ensures they receive compensation
for their design as well as their production work. Jeremy is one of the biggest advocates of developing alternate product offerings using Indian tribal arts and believes that the interdisciplinary amalgamation of toy design and traditional Indian printing techniques can lead to great neo-cultural innovation while also providing restoring opportunity to native Indian printing techniques through alternate supply chain opportunity techniques.
Key Pointers of his Profile
Honoured by National Geographic as one of the most responsible global designers during the Pandemic
Recognised by Outlook Magazine for his contribution towards development of eco-tourism in India
Former Lecturer of Entrepreneurship in Union College, New York
Former Lecturer in Crafts and Social Structures in Hyperwerk Institute, Basel, Switzerland
Keynote Speaker in leading Entrepreneurship Events in the USA such as Bernstein Global Wealth Management
