shades doc

SHADES OF INDIA
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP 2018

BACHELOR OF DESIGN
(TEXTILE DESIGN)

STUDENT: SHUBHANGI
FACULTY GUIDE: MRS.ANU SHARMA

2018
TEXTILE DESIGN DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY

NEW DELHI



PREFACE

Internship is an important step of a student’s academic career. It provides a person with the platform to
get some hands on experience of the real business situations and also an opportunity of peeping into real
professional lives of the business people and to translate all the acquired theoretical as well as practical
knowledge learnt in the classes to the practical solutions in the market. It also helps us to comprehend the
main trends of any business activity; be it in the world of science, commerce or arts.

As a part of this programme, working at Shades of India was a highly enriching and rewarding experience.
The company in India as well internationally very well known for its creativity and innovation in
developing soft furnishing products for home decor, fashion and home accessories and also apparel. They
have also won major international trade shows in Paris and New York for the originality of their products
and the designs.

For me, working with Shades of India was hence an all exclusive insight into the business of home textiles.
A detailed know how was gathered of how the company is operated, the different management levels and
how any proposition was initiated. With the prolonged sessions with my internship mentor and project
heads, no aspect of the trade was left unaddressed. The technical facts about various products which we
already studied in theory were closely observed in practice. The aesthetics of designs as demanded was
balanced with the observation of the limitation of the execution to produce production friendly designs.A
deeper understanding on exchanges with the workmen, laborers and with the people in the different levels
of the organization was developed. Thus apart from the projects undertaken, the exercise was fruitful in
terms of imparting real life experience of the industry training.

I was assigned to complete my internship which was for a time period of 8 weeks. And hence, in this
internship document I have tried my level best to explain each and every significant aspect of the company
comprehensively.



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I wish to express my gratitude to everybody who has assisted me in the formulation of this report. There
are many to whom expression of gratitude is inevitable, but there are some people who have to be given
prominence without whom I would have not reached the conclusion of this project so quickly and
efficiently.

I offer my sincerest of thanks to National Institute of Fashion Technology for giving me the opportunity
of experiencing a fruitful programme at Shades of India. My deepest thanks are extended to the faculty
members of the Textile Design Department for their kind guidance and support. I am obliged to Mrs. Anu
Sharma, my mentor for this project for her valuable time and energy.

A special mention ought to be made of Shades of India and each and every member associated with the
organization, without whose enthusiasm, cooperation and encouragement, this internship would have
never achieved its objective. Mrs Mandeep Nagi and Mr. Ankur Verma are especially remembered for
their endless efforts in planning, organizing and supervising my work and patiently guiding me throughout
the entire programme.

I am also grateful to my parents and my fellow interns for their views and opinions that encouraged me
throughout.







TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No.

1. Company Profile
2. Organizational Structure
3. Infrastructure
4. Product Range
5. Design Management
6. Materials and Manufacturing Process
7. Quality Control
8. Marketing and Distribution
9. CSR
10. Small Scale Projects
11. Conclusion
12. References

COMPANY PROFILE

Shades of India is considered one of the most
admirable companies in the field of textiles. Led by
Mrs. Mandeep Nagi Housego (Design Director) and
David Housego(former UK Journalist),the brand
provides the best amalgamation of the prompt
workmanship of traditional craft with the
contemporary designs. The exclusive style of the
brand lies in the variety of textures created, the
coordination and contrast of the variety of colours,
and the inventive, unexpected use of surface
treatment.

The company is acclaimed internationally for
originality and innovativeness in its designs and has
won various awards including best product awards at
shows in Paris and New York. Mandeep Nagi,has
thrice won the Elle Décor Design Award in India for
fabric.

Shades of India’s product range includes
apparel, fashion and interior accessories, and
home furnishings. In apparel, it launches six
collections a year of which the most recent are
Cinnamon, Borte, Baiyu and the latest collection
called All about Yu.

The Company launches new Home collections
twice a year with a range that includes curtains,
bed covers, cushions, bed linen, table linen and
napkin ties. All these are designed, sampled and
made in-house. It has its own specialized
interiors and hospitality divisions working on
residential projects and hotels.

Founded almost two decades ago, Shades of India has built up a strong international reputation and has
sold to leading department stores around the world including Harrods and the Conran Shop in the UK,
ABC and Gumps in the US, Le Bon Marche in Paris, and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong. The company
has participated in major international fairs including Maison et Objet in Paris and the New York Gift
show.

Building on its international reputation, Shades of India established its own first stand-alone retail store
in the Meharchand Market in New Delhi in 2012. It has already become an iconic shopping destination
and covers Shades of India’s full range of apparel, fashion and home accessories and home furnishings.
Shades of India now sells through over 20 outlets in India including through Good Earth stores and the
Jaypore on-line site.

Shades of India has its own design studio, sampling facilities and factory in Noida (NCR). The company
can draw on huge archives of fabrics, techniques and designs. All of its production is in-house, thus
enabling it to customize as well as to maintain high quality standards. It thus has the resources to work
with large international retail groups as well as to develop its own collections and work on interiors and
hospitality projects.





INFRASTRUCTURE
Shades of India values to be the world’s best integrated textile solution enterprise across all products and
markets, exceeding customer satisfaction and stakeholder expectation. It has been constantly
endeavoring to ensure that its growth and progression is translated into that of employees, believes that
loyalty is a priced virtue that seldom finds its place in an organization.
To retain the flow of production and achieve the desired targets, the company has systematically been
segregated as follows:
1.Showroom
2.Design Department
3.Sampling Department and Costing
4.Sampling Unit (Workers)
5.Production Merchandiser and Production Department
6.Quality Assurance
7.Fabric Store
8.Trims and Accessories Department
9.Dyeing and Printing Unit
10.Washing Unit
11.Finishing and Packaging
12.Hospitality
13.Human Resource
14.Finance and Logistics

SHOWROOM

The showroom plays a major role in the working of the company and can be called the essence of Shades
of India. It is the place where the company keeps its developments of the designs. It has three main beds
setting with curtains draped in combination with the bed linen. What the company has done in the past 20
years can be easily found in the showroom. All major meetings with the buyers and company’s meetings
take place at the showroom so that the buyer and the clients can see the new designs as well as if required
can meet the Director easily.

THE DESIGN DEPARTMENT
The design department is the crucial department of any export house, as it the source of innovation. The
department employs full time designers who are well equipped to handle any kind of development work.
CAD systems are also used to fasten the design process. It is the innovation in the design which leads on
to getting the buyers and clients to the company. The department caters to every aspect of making the
design process meet the quality standards of the organization as well as the customers. From making mood
boards to sampling and production, everything is done under the eye of the designers. It has a total member
of nine people, one of them being the design head.

QUALITY ASSURANCE DEPARTMENT
Quality assurance department deals with the process of verifying or determining whether products or
services meet or exceed consumer expectation and satisfaction. Quality assurance is a process driven
approach with specific steps to help define and attain goals.
Shades of India is very particular about its quality control and maintaining it at every stage. It has a total
member of twenty-eight people.

SAMPLING DEPARTMENT AND COSTING
Sampling department is where all the approved designs and concepts are created into an actual sample of
the product. The motive behind sampling is to essentially create the accuracy of the product in real form,
in the desired color, texture, fabric, embroidery and detailing.
Usually around four samples of every product is made that is to be produced, out of which one goes to the
buyer and one remains in the sampling department, one to the production department and one to the design
team.It works with coordination between the designers. The department does all the sampling for the new
developments, new products and new designs.
It has a total member of 45 people including the tailors and the embroiderers).

COSTING
At Shades of India costing lays an important role in the entire process of manufacturing the product. The
pricing of each manufactured product at Shades is affected as the company focuses in a lot of labour
intended work and essentially handwork done by the karigars and the ladies.
The exclusivity of each product and its fineness in its detailing with embroidery and handwork adds onto
the relative costing of the product. Another factor that can be taken into consideration is the client to whom
the product is being catered to. For every product that is manufactured, a cost sheet is prepared. The cost
sheet shows the exact details of all the procedures and processes that have gone into the making of the
product.
The cost sheet includes:
The kind of surface manipulation, type of embroidery, base fabric, texture, trims, lining, amount of fabric
used and even finishing is taken in consideration. Costing is a major process as through this process the
exact value of the product can be achieved and estimated and hence a particular price is then fixed to the
product.

PRODUCTION MERCHANDISER AND PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT

MERCHANDISING DEPARTMENT

The merchandising department works to promote and sustain certain categories of commercial activity.
In the broadcast sense, merchandising contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. It contains
a team of fifteen members.

PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT

Production is the process after sampling and approval of the samples by the buyer in accordance with
the cost. All the orders are processed in the production department. It includes all the manufacturing
processes a product has to go through. In this department the quality of the product is checked .

FABRIC STORE

The fabric store is located in the basement where one can find almost all kinds of fabrics, sheer fabrics
like organza to heavy fabrics like mashroo, all are stored in the fabric store. The fabrics are looked after
by many workers.

Fabrics are ordered from various parts of the country. The workers have the knowledge of identifying
the fabrics and the weave structure of the fabric. The workers have the knowledge of identifying the
fabrics and the weave structure of the fabric. Even there is a unit in the store which gets different types
of prints printed from outside using multiple screens if the designs are given.

Activities like cutting and quality check is also done in this department. A requisition is required to get
fabrics from the store which contains the details such as the buyer for whom the sampling is being done,
the requisition acts as a record for the company.

TRIMS AND ACCESSORY DEPARTMENT

The trims and accessory department has a huge variety of trims, buttons, needles, sewing threads,
embroidery threads, sequences, beads, zari, doris, yarns etc.All the materials that are required for
sampling and production are sourced from the store.

The trims are sourced from Govindpuri, Chandni Chowk ,Sadar Bazaar and Noida. If some particular
trims or beads are needed by the designers, then they can even go with the sourcing person and get the
required items.

All the materials that are required for sampling and production.

DYEING AND PRINTING UNIT

For sampling purposes, the dyeing takes place at the terrace where they have a small room. The different
techniques of tie and dye are also executed with an ease. A spin dyeing machine is used for quick
drying. The dyeing unit also has foil printing unit in it. Foil papers mostly (gold and silver) are ordered
from the trims and accessory department. The foil paper is then applied onto the fabric with the help of
an adhesive and them brushed out to give a brushed effect. It is then dried in the sun or with a hot
blower in case of rain. Printing is overall inspected by the general manager.

Mass printing and dyeing is outsourced. The places from where it is done are listed below:

1.Walia Textiles, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad (silk screen printing)

2.Ghazipur, Khaushambi, Ghaziabad (screen printing)

3.Near IP University (screen printing)

4.Noida (batik and block printing)

TRACING DEPARTMENT
The tracing unit is at the terrace in a small room. After the pinning of the designs, the designs are traced
on the fabric here using zinc powder and indigo. All the design patterns are stacked here according to
the designer to whom it belongs. The workers here have an immense knowledge about the designs, by
just showing the image of the product they can tell to what designer it belongs. All the tracing for
sampling as well as production is done here.
There are total of five members in this department.

WASHING UNIT
The washing unit is also located on the terrace. This unit does the cleaning and washing of the product.
It is the immediate step before finishing of that particular product. Detergents and soap along with
enzymes and other chemicals are used to soften the fabrics. Petrol is also used as spot cleaning solvent
in order to remove pen marks or tracing.
Three kinds of equipment are used in this unit. They are: washing machines, tumbler and hydro. For
washing, they use surf excel and for pen marks apart from petrol, they use ‘ticol’ (kind of soap). For
removing black stain they use a chemical ‘Amale’. A total of six members work here.

FINISHING AND PACKAGING

At this level, the unit here does the final finishing of the trims and accessories attached or used in the
product. In finishing, a set of following process is followed:
-Thread cutting
-Initial checking (the chemical or any stain is removed with the help of textile spot gun which uses a

solvent to help remove different kinds of stains)
-Ironing of the fabric to remove any crinkle
-Final checking
-Quality check
-Folding and ultimately
-Packaging
Bar-coding happens after the products are properly packed. The finished pieces are then stored in this
department in a plastic bag and then into a carton. If a piece is being used in a meeting it is then
recorded in the name of a buyer and the employee of the company so that the piece does not get
misplaced. It is mandatory to return the pieces for everyone in the company within the date of issue.
This department is also inspected by the general manager.A total of forty eight people work here.

HOSPITALITY

Shades of India has indulged in various projects for different hotels, corporate offices, personal residences,
etc. it has worked on a number of hotel projects with Singapore based groups and developed various
products for them. In the US, they have been involved in projects for Starwood Hotels, the Hyatt Group,
the W Group and also the New York Palace Hotels. Some of the prestigious projects include Rashtrapati
Bhavan, the Magnolias and luxury residences in the metro cities.

HUMAN RESOURCE DEPARTMENT

Human Resource Department works for the recruitment of the right candidates at the right time.
Training and development, performance evaluation and management, promotions, compensations,
career developments, company events like strategy seminars, sports events, corporate social
responsibility, satisfaction surveys among employees, development of employee skills, friendly policies
etc. are some of the activities carried by the HR department.

LOGISTIC AND FINANCE

Also known as the accounting department, logistics is considered to be a complete process involving
planning, managing, directing and controlling the flow of goods and services, information and real time
data and human resources from the point of origin to the point of destination. There is hardly any
manufacturing or marketing activity that can be achieved without the support of an effective logistical
department. The department deals with the accounts of the company, which includes all the money
matters, transactions, payments and records.



PRODUCT RANGE
Shades of India, with its unique textures, converts an inspiration into a product for home and apparel.
These categories are as follows:
1.Home furnishings
2.Fashion and Home accessories
3.Apparel -Shades and White

-MN Collection

HOME FURNISHINGS

The Home furnishing sector of Shades of India includes the following products: decorative cushions,
bed sheeting’s, sheer curtains, quilts, throws and shams, table and kitchen linen. The home furnishings
are classic, natural yet they stand out completely. Laying emphasis on fabrics like silks, mashroo, flex,
crinkle gauze and linen they create a rich yet classic ambience and an earthen look to the entire room.
For this look, they work with earthen colors like browns, beiges, greys, etc. They cater towards high end
clients thus ensuring that the products meet the expectations of the discerning buyers.

Design director Mandeep Nagi says ‘In any collection, I want a major focus to be on the natural. This
applies to both the fabrics as well as to the accessories we use. Colors can be neutral or white. I like to
use accessories like wooden, teak finished squares on linen in a cushion.’ which in a way proves that
being natural is the USP of the brand.

The uniqueness of Shades of India lies in the diversity of fabrics, the coordination and contrasting of the
colors and also the invention but the unexpected use of the surface treatment.

FASHION AND HOME ACCESSORIES

The way you carry an accessory defines yourself. An accessory acts as a value addition to your whole
outfit. A handbag, scarf or necklace can completely alter the look of a top or a coat. Shades of India’s
accessories all spring from fabrics, textures, beads and embroideries. They are signature pieces that you
can wear in the daytime or at night. These lightweight and handy accessories make a place in your heart
as soon as you see them.

Fashion and home accessories include products like Napkin ties, bags, scarves, head accessories and neck
pieces.

These are handcrafted piece, which are a little expensive. They are not only designed on paper but also
given ample amount of patience and time to make them. The ladies who work in the Company serve as
the backbone for making fashion and some of the home accessories.

APPAREL
Shades of India has two collections in the apparel section:
-Mandeep Nagi collection (MN)
-Shades and White(SW)
Such simple silhouettes but the intricacy and fine detailing make the apparels stand out in the market.
Women who wear shades of India clothes feel proud to do so. They cherish the fabric, the fine detailing,
the unexpected touches in the neckline or in a hem, the sense of garment individuality and the traditionally
crafted design.
The clothes have an altogether different and distinctive look and style.

DESIGN MANAGEMENT
A design process is the backbone of designing of any product hence there should be clarity and proper
understanding of the process. The following flowchart shows how a systematic flow of the design process
makes the execution of the product designing an elementary task.

DESIGN PROCESS FLOW CHART FOR SOI RETAIL COLLECTION

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT BRIEF AND GUIDELINES
(MANDEEP NAGI AND THE MARKETING TEAM)

SAMPLE AND SWATCH DEVELOPED
(DESIGN TEAM AND SAMPLING DEPARTMENT)

SAMPLE FINALISATION AND APPROVAL OF DESIGNS
(MANDEEP NAGI AND MARKETING TEAM)

DEVELOPMENT OF PIECES AND COLOR VARIATIONS
(UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE DESIGNER)

APPROVAL FOR TRACING
(THE DESIGNER CHECKS THE TRACING DESIGN AND THE ACCESSORIES, FABRIC

BEFORE PROCEEDING
FURTHER)

HANDOVER TO THE MARKET TEAM
(MARKETING TEAM APPROVES THE DESIGNS ACCORDING TO THE COST)

ORDER PROCESSED
(PRODUCTION)

MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING PROCESS

The process has been explained briefly in the previous flow chart which clearly gives an idea of how a
design idea is developed, processed and lastly finished into a final product and then delivered to the buyer.
Order received/ marketing merchandiser.
The market merchandiser approaches the buyers and fixes the showroom visits dealing with all the price
offers, presentations and negotiations. After all these processes the order is received from the buyer and
thus time and action plans as per the delivery date of the orders.

QUALITY CONTROL
The process of quality control starts when the customer gives the order and continues till the sample is
made. It is then checked for quality assurance measures and compliance with customer needs. At later
stages, the fabric is inspected and testing of parameters of fabrics is done.
The two major parts of quality assurance are:

QUALITY CONTROL

INSPECTION TESTING

IN PROCESS FINAL PHYSICAL TESTING

CHEMICAL TESTING

SHADE TESTING

PROCESS CONTROL

SHIPMENT CLEARANCE

CERTIFICATION

Major defects are classified as follows:

Major woven fabric defects such as slubs, holes, missing warp/ weft, yarn variation, conspicuous, end out,

soiled yarn, wrong yarn.

Major dyeing or printing defects are print out, dye spots, machine stop, color smear or fading

.MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION PROCESS

MERCHANDISER The partners of SOI are:
MATERIAL KNOWLEDGE
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT - Good Earth (New Delhi and
PRODUCT AUTHORIZATION Mumbai)

INTERFACE WITH SALES - Ogaan (New Delhi)

SOURCING - Options (Ahmedabad)
INTERFACE WITH MANUFACTURING

PLANNING AND CONTROLLING - Transforme (Mumbai)
MATERIAL MANAGEMENT

- Rain Tree (Bangalore)

Objective of Merchandiser - Amethyst (Chennai)
• To create market - Anonym (Hyderabad)
• Understanding buyers’ requirements
• Sourcing of materials, fabrics

• Select the range
• Creating the product
• Taking buyers approvals

• Negotiation with buyer

• Procuring the orders

• Materializing the order
• Execution the order

• Coordination between production and production planning department

• Dispatching the shipment

MAJOR BUYERS

Debenhams, Reymond Waites/ Next Creation, Bed Bath Beyond, Budmeyer, Soft Surroundings, Cloud

9, Anthropologie, Harrods, ABC, West Elm, Shabby Chic, Olga, Soup Home, Extreme linen, Cuddle

Down, Dina, Jasmine Hall, Vivariase, Company Store, Garnett Hill, The One.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

At Shades of India Crafts Pvt. Ltd. We certify that our business and labour practices confirm to the
requirements as per the laws that binds us. We do not encourage or follow any actions that are against
the law.

SAFETY AND HEALTH

At Shades of India we are committed to creating an environment that allows for the safety of our
workers. We continue to ensure that our factories are clean and are consistent with all applicable laws
and regulations regarding safety of health.

CHILD LABOUR

Here at Shades of India, we have a strict adherence to forced labour. Managers at each and every stage
of process have been insuring that under no circumstances will an employee be forced to do a particular
job. This even applies against overtime: no worker will be forced to conduct overtime.

HARASSMENT OR ABUSE

Corporal punishments or other forms of harassment, abuse or coercion, whether mental or physical is
strictly prohibited.

DISCRIMINATION

Discrimination is hiring, paying, promotion, termination or other terms and conditions of employment
based on personal characteristics (race, caste, sex/gender) is a serious consideration and is strictly
prohibited under any circumstances.

WORKING HOURS/ OVERTIME

At Shades of India, employees are not requires to work hours in excess or what has been legally
prescribed. Shades of India does complies with the applicable laws that entitles our employees, their
vacation time, their leave periods and their holidays. We confer that not more than 60 hours per week is
encouraged, further that each employee has one day off, of every seven working days.

WAGES AND BENEFITS

At Shades of India, they ensure that a minimum wage system is followed (according to minimum wages
act 1948, section 12). They also certify and ensure that each worker in the factory premises is covered
under the providence act and benefits such as ESIC are provided to the staff members.

ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

At Shades of India, the factories comply with the local laws protecting the environment. At present, no
process in the making of the products hurts the environment in any way. A pollution license is obtained
certifying that the company complies with the laws pertaining to the environment.

SMALL SCALE PROJECTS

PROJECT 1

BRIEF: To develop samples for bags and trims keeping in mind the Festive / Wedding theme. And
even work with the designer for the timely completion of the apparel line.

EXECUTION: So the samples were made keeping in mind the colour palette and the grandeur of the
festivities in mind, a lot of hand work is used with a tinch of machine embroidery to
create variation. The motifs were taken from the garments only.

These swatches were

created for bags and trims
using ‘adda ka kaam’,

crochet and bead work.

These swatches were created for the
bags as for seeing what all techniques

and motifs could be used.

PROJECT 2

BRIEF: To develop samples of bedcovers for Shades of India retail sale taking inspiration from
already existing samples.

EXECUTION: A palette was decided, and therefore keeping in mind the existing designs
Samples were created using voile fabric only, followed by the costing for each.



PROJECT 3
BRIEF: To create packaging for gifts being presented at Concierge meet.

CONCLUSION

The experience of industrial training with Shades of India was very educative, highly enriching and an
enjoyable experience. It gave an in depth exposure and knowledge about the working of various
departments.
The practical working with different kinds of textiles as well as translating the concepts and designs from
the design board to making of the actual product was very exciting. This experience will always play a
very important role in my life and would also help me in developing my future.

REFERENCES
http://www.shadesofindia.com/
https://www.jaypore.com/shop-brand/shades-of-india-665
https://www.facebook.com/shadesofindia/
https://lbb.in/delhi/oona-shades-of-india-ethnic-indianwear