Studio Kilab’s contemporary twist to Kashmiri crafts

When Burhan ud din Khateeb completed his Product Design course at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, in 2015, unlike his classmates who took up job offers at established companies, he decided to move back to his home in Kashmir. Burhan, who co-founded Kashmir Innovation Lab in Srinagar — a multidisciplinary design studio exploring the fields of crafts and sustainable living — with businessman Ishfaq Mir in 2018, says the Indonesian designer Singgih Susilo Kartono inspired him to return home. He went on to create refined products that have been sold abroad, and also bagged several international design awards,” says Burhan, adding that this story inspired him “to look at my own roots and think how I could possibly go back and use design for a positive change”. The idea of the initiative, says Burhan, was to make Kashmiri craft “open to newer collaborations and innovations for new market opportunities that would go on to create livelihood opportunities for the artists”. We also worked with several crafts including wood work, willow wicker, metal, paper mache, etc., in the first year,” says Burhan.