TEDxBigApple - Kavita Parmar - Turning Supply Chains Into Prosperity Chains
Summary
TLDRThe video script narrates the evolution of the fashion industry from a personalized artisan approach to a globalized, mass-produced system. It highlights the loss of authenticity andε·₯ε η²Ύη₯ in the process and introduces a new concept of a 'prosperity chain' that uses technology to trace products back to individual artisans, empowering them and fostering an engaged consumer community. The example of Madras fabric revitalizes traditional craftsmanship and connects it with European artisans, creating a responsible and transparent supply chain.
Takeaways
- π The origin of the shirt industry began with artisans who made custom-fitted shirts, emphasizing craftsmanship and personal touch.
- π¨ Designers introduced creativity and fashion trends, leading to mass demand for stylish shirts that everyone wanted to wear.
- π’ Retailers and wholesalers emerged to meet the growing demand, leading to a complex global supply chain.
- π As globalization increased, production moved overseas to countries with lower living standards, affecting the competitiveness of local artisans.
- π The shift to mass production turned artisans into factory workers, stripping them of their creativity and turning the shirt-making process into a repetitive task.
- ποΈ Consumers became mere 'consumers,' with an emphasis on buying more rather than valuing the authenticity and story behind the products.
- π The speaker decided to use technology to reconnect unhappy stakeholders in the supply chain, aiming to bring transparency and traceability to the process.
- π A pilot project was conducted using Madras fabric, which is often misrepresented in terms of its origin and production methods.
- π By connecting Indian weavers with European artisans, the project aimed to restore authenticity and pride to the craft, while also engaging consumers.
- π The experiment resulted in a 'prosperity chain' where artisans received credit, consumers gained a deeper connection to their purchases, and a sense of community was fostered.
Q & A
What was the initial process of getting a shirt made before the involvement of designers and retailers?
-Initially, when someone wanted a shirt, they would go to an artisan who would take their measurements and make a shirt that fit them beautifully.
How did the introduction of designers change the shirt-making process?
-Designers brought creative flair and added beautiful details to simple shirts, making them fashionable and desirable to everyone.
What role did retailers play in the expansion of the shirt business?
-Retailers heard about the fashionable shirts and wanted to bring them to their communities, which led to the expansion of the business beyond the local area.
Why did the artisan eventually become a manufacturer?
-The artisan couldn't keep up with the increasing demand for shirts, so he hired other artisans and became a manufacturer to meet the demand.
How did globalization affect the artisan's competitiveness?
-Globalization made trade between countries with unequal living standards easier, which led to the artisan's work being outsourced to places with cheaper labor, making them less competitive.
What changes occurred in the artisan's role as production became more mechanized?
-The artisan was turned into a factory worker, losing his creativity as he was tasked with repeating a single part of the shirt-making process over and over for the sake of productivity.
How did the concept of the consumer change in this new supply chain?
-The customer transformed into a consumer, expected to consume more and more, with the focus shifting from quality and authenticity to quantity and price.
What was the main issue with the traditional supply chain according to the speaker?
-The main issue was the loss of authenticity and value in the products, as well as the unhappiness of all parties involved, including artisans, designers, and consumers.
What was the solution proposed to reconnect the artisans with their customers and restore authenticity?
-The solution was to use technology to track and trace every piece of clothing back to the individual artisan who made it, allowing customers to see who made their shirt and potentially engage with them.
Why was Madras fabric chosen for the experiment in the new supply chain model?
-Madras fabric was chosen because it is a common fabric with a rich history, but most Madras shirts are not authentically made by the traditional Madras handloom weavers, presenting an opportunity to showcase the benefits of the new supply chain model.
How did the experiment with Madras fabric and European artisans affect the artisans and consumers?
-The experiment resulted in artisans gaining pride and recognition for their work, consumers receiving authentic, handmade products at reasonable prices, and both parties being able to engage with each other, creating a more responsible and connected supply chain.
Outlines
π The Evolution of the Fashion Industry
The speaker takes us through the historical journey of the fashion industry, starting from the days of the artisan who made custom shirts to the rise of designers adding fashionable details. The demand for these designs led to the involvement of retailers and wholesalers, eventually leading to the globalization of the supply chain. The artisan's role transformed from a creator to a manufacturer, unable to keep up with the growing demand, and work was outsourced to countries with lower living standards. This led to a complex global supply chain where the focus on faster and cheaper production overshadowed the authenticity and value of the products. The artisan's creativity was replaced by repetitive tasks, and the customer became a mere consumer with an abundance of choices but lacking in genuine connection to the product's origin and the people behind it.
π Revitalizing the Supply Chain with Technology
The speaker introduces an innovative approach to revamp the supply chain by using technology to reconnect unhappy stakeholders. The idea was to track and trace every piece of clothing back to the individual artisan who made it, providing transparency to the consumer. The experiment involved Madras fabric, which, despite its name, is often not authentically produced in India. The speaker's team engaged with the traditional Madras weavers in Chennai, India, and partnered them with European artisan producers. Each piece was marked with a unique code that allowed consumers to trace it back to its origin, fostering a sense of community and engagement. The outcome was a 'prosperity chain' where artisans received recognition and consumers became part of a community, promoting responsible production, consumption, and conservation.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Artisan
π‘Designer
π‘Retailer
π‘Wholesaler
π‘Distributor
π‘Manufacturer
π‘Global Supply Chain
π‘Commodity
π‘Consumer
π‘Authenticity
π‘Traceability
π‘Prosperity Chain
Highlights
The origin of the shirt-making process involved an artisan who personally crafted each shirt to fit the customer.
Designers introduced creativity and fashion to the simple shirts, making them desirable.
The concept of a retailer emerged as demand for the fashionable shirts spread beyond the local community.
The growth of global demand led to the development of wholesalers and distributors.
Artisans had to adapt to mass production, becoming manufacturers to keep up with demand.
The shift to cheaper labor overseas affected local artisans' competitiveness and job security.
The complex global supply chain led to a loss of authenticity and value in the products.
Artisans were reduced to factory workers, losing their creative input and job satisfaction.
Consumers became mere consumers, with an emphasis on buying more rather than valuing quality and authenticity.
The speaker decided to address the issues within the fashion industry by leveraging technology.
The idea of tracking and tracing every piece of clothing back to its individual artisan was proposed.
The experiment involved using Madras fabric, which has a rich history but is often misrepresented in the market.
The project aimed to connect authentic Madras weavers with European artisan producers to create a new supply chain.
Each piece of clothing was marked with a unique code, allowing consumers to trace its origin and artisan.
The experiment resulted in a positive impact, with artisans gaining recognition and consumers becoming part of a community.
Artisans are now proud of their work, receiving individual credit and establishing a connection with their customers.
Consumers can now purchase authentic, handmade products and participate in promoting the artisans who made them.
The new supply chain model, referred to as the 'prosperity chain', encourages responsible production, consumption, and conservation.
The story concludes with a call to action for consumers to be mindful of the origins of their clothing and the impact of their choices.
Transcripts
[Music]
[Music]
[Applause]
let's go back to the beginning once upon
a time when you wanted a shirt you went
to someone who knew how to make it an
artisan he took your measurements and he
made you a shirt that fit you
beautifully then in there came a
designer some with creative flare great
ideas he put some beautiful details on a
simple shirt and everybody wanted it it
became fashionable then I guess you
could easily say that somebody from a
nearby Town heard about those shirts and
wanted to stalk them for their community
and that was a
retailer as Communications made ideas
spread really fast lots of other people
around the world wanted it and then you
had of course the wholesalers the
Distributors The Artisan couldn't keep
up with the demand that he was getting
so he hired other artisans and those he
became a
manufacturer further as business between
countries trade between countries with
unequal um you know living standards
became easier well then our Artisans
were not competitive anymore and all
that work all that production went
overseas well now this is where it got
complicated a lot of layers were added a
lot of layers to manage this incredibly
complex Global Supply
Chain of course we needed demand to
increase so faster and cheaper became
really important and for fast and
cheaper meant that the Artisan had to be
turned into a factory worker what does
that mean that means that he doesn't
make the shirt anymore he just makes a
part of the shirt he repeats that
process over and over and over again any
creativity out of his job is taken away
in the name of productivity and as far
as a customer he's now a consumer
because that's what he's supposed to do
consume more and more and more um this
shirt had lost all its value it has lost
all its authenticity it had just turned
into a commodity there was it was
available at different price points
vying for your attention on the latest
celebrities
back so here we were we have this really
complex supply chain and everybody all
of us who were working within it were
not at all happy with it um you had the
Artisan turn factory worker yes he was
making a bit little bit more money but
really he was in competition at any
given moment
to lose his job to a machine or a
cheaper Source yes you had us the
designers and we had incredible pressure
to keep up with the latest Trend that
was in the market and then of course you
had the customer the new consumer yes he
had incredible choices and incredible
price points but really was there such a
difference it didn't matter where you
went London New York Rome Singapore you
had the same shirt following you around
where was the
authenticity so I decided it was enough
time we've been complaining about it at
fashion shows and fabric trade shows
that we're going to do something about
it so we thought what if we could use
technology and bring all of these
unhappy people face to face so that they
could see each other and talk to each
other so we decided that we were going
to track and Trace every single piece
all the way back to every individual
Artisan who made it and then we were
going to offer that information to the
customer they could trace back who had
made their piece and if they really want
wanted to they could even find out where
it came from how it was made and plus
get involved and maybe help them promote
the artisan and social
media so we ran an experiment for that
experiment we
chose madas now madas is something madas
plat is something that all of you
probably have in your it's one of the
most common Fabrics available and the
sad truth about Madras is 90% of the
Madras shirts made in India that are
called Madras are not made in India and
the ones that Are Made in India are not
even made by the real Madras handloom
Weavers in the south of India and
actually the south of India is the place
is no longer called Madras so we don't
even know if there's a mythical name
that came from somewhere but anyway
there was a place called Madras which is
now called chenai and that is where
these handloom Weavers were producing
this fabric for centuries that's what
gave it the name now imagine if we had
bubbly wine and there was they could put
champagne label on it I mean the French
would really get upset about that
so here you were the madas Weavers and
they could do nothing about this so we
just we went there we found there were
over
250,000 families still doing hand and
weaving and they were frustrated because
they couldn't compete with the machine
made Goods coming from overseas as well
as in India so we talked to them we
found out what is it that they wanted
and we took this authentic madas Fabric
and then we went all the way to Europe
where we found again disgruntled
European
Artisan producers who were making
beautiful shirts for centuries and now
couldn't compete against the cheap
shirts coming out of the Far East so we
put them together we every single piece
had The Artisans trace on it we traced
it back from madas to Europe put a
unique code onto that piece and that
piece the consumer could use that unique
code to trace it back to who it was to
get involved to find out and we actually
encouraged the consumer to take a
picture and put it up so that he could
get involved and he could maybe promote
his Artisan now this experiment I happy
to tell you had the most magical
consequences we are so excited The
Artisans are now suddenly so proud of
what it is that they're doing finally
someone gives them credit individual
credit they're signing every single
piece with their name they actually get
to know people across continent who've
bought their work people are sending
them thank you notes thank you that was
so beautiful and the consumer now no
longer is a consumer he's an Engaged
Community he gets an authentic real
handmade madra shirt at a reasonable
price point and on top of it he can
trace it back and he can even help
promote his Artisan maybe make maybe
make some money out of that for himself
becoming a trunk sh hose so here you are
I told you this story and I'm hoping
that you see what it is that we're
trying to do what we're trying to do is
that we're trying to make sure everyone
understands and realizes that we're all
part of this we should all see each
other and seeing each other and being
aware of each other makes us aware of
the responsibility we have towards each
other responsibility to produce to
consume and to conserve responsibly and
of course I hope this little story has
made all of you a little intrigued that
tomorrow morning when you get and get up
and reach out for that shirt you wonder
who made it and I hope you also feel
that this story of this new supply chain
that we call the prosperity chain is an
idea worth spreading thank thank you
[Applause]
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