This is a project I just finished for the April Cornell website. They asked me to show a tablecloth being made. Immersed in the world of manufacturing, I have learned that if you want to know everything it will take years in the business. That said, from my experience you are not going to learn without being hands on with the process. For this video I spent a half hour in the sampling room with our linens team and a tailor. I took photos, video, asked question and intently watched the whole process. This is how I saw it; it is way more interactive then photo's and text.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Back to Basics
Education for everyone isn't a worldwide standard. In fact, most countries would have to say otherwise. In India, education costs some families more than they can afford, this is where NGO's have devoted much of their efforts. Kids from migrant families and children of slum residents benefit from the organizations that provide informal education. This method of learning has produced tremendous success for kids who would otherwise be illiterate, for kids who would be void of skills many of us consider basic necessities. The greatest part about visiting these projects is personal motivation! To see how hungry these kids are for intellectual nourishment is inspirational. It begs the questions; what more can I learn? what else can I know about? From my own selfish perspective...I love that this is part of what we do.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Free Food is Free Food
Yesterday we held a Food Distribution outside our office in Okhla. The event was funded, organized and managed by CO employees. When we began serving, It was a mad house. Girls and guys on either side, crammed into packed lanes of young & old waiting for their plate. All told we easily served three hundred people over the span of an hour and 1/2. Some of the little ones even managed to make it thru more than a few times. For $500 dollars it is amazing how many people we were able to feed, even we ate the food. A true example of how a little goes a long way. The picture's tell the rest...Friday, March 19, 2010
Market Research
Production is cool. I'll just start with that. To see a product being sampled and to watch it enter and pass through production is a trip. What you hold in your hands in the store, what you wear daily, what you sleep on, all of these things were, presumably, produced abroad. And here we are, in the thick of the manufacturing process where most people hold unfounded perceptions. We make clothes in India, we do not support child labor or sweatshops, we do support the livelihood of over 350 Indians, and we believe in how we run our international business. Whether you believe this or not, I am here, and I will be one to attest to the important and essential function we provide, as employer and shoulder to lean on, as a foundation for professional and personal respect, and as a business that strives to increase its global social impact. So here's your chance, connect with us, connect with India, connect with a product's origin, connect with the people we employ, connect with the organizations we support, for one reason...its something we're damn proud of. Interested?? Comments welcome...
Monday, March 15, 2010
Four Deep in a Lorry...
Four deep in a truck riding to Delhi returning from a fair in Chandigarh. Two Americans, two Indians, one small cab holding us all. We bumped and bounced along bumbling with a basic determination that only an Indian can drive with. Exchanging songs and shoulders to sleep on we slowly made our way home, to stinky Delhi. In the end we endured, endearing ourselves to each other and exiting the path well traveled. Thanks for the ride fellas, it was one that will remain unforgettable.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Holy Holi!
What a good time, what a holiday, what an experience! I may now be nursing the better part of my consumption for this ruckus festival of color, but damn was it worth it! Bringing in the summer with water balloons, friends and strangers, music, and the famous bags of powdered dyes should be a global must. So grateful to have had such a great Indian experience for this day and so appreciative to be spending it with good friends and good people. Looking for plans next March 1st? Holi in India. I just hope I'm invited back!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Holi 2010!
Holi, marks the first day of spring...celebrated by bright colors, music and dancing. Below is a link to the full photo album...Don't miss these!
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