Akilgeeth: Innovate, Create, & Inspire Through New Ideas and Designs

Akilgeeth Eco Innovation specializes in creating sustainable and eco-friendly products and interior spaces. Newly gained knowledge in sustainability while becoming an industrial designer stirred me into a new philosophy and as a result of that I started observing and identifying new technology and material that had gone unnoticed. I am deeply curious towards new materials and technology and keen to combine traditional cultures with modern style. For me, a good design, affirms the positive aspects of the relationship between humans and nature. Hence our design firm's core principle is to "Innovate, Create, Experiment and Inspire through new ideas and designs. Our vision is to think outside the realm to create a customer-oriented design experience which makes their life brighter," affirms Ms Sangeetha Balakrishnan, Design Entrepreneur, Akilgeeth Eco Innovative in an interview with Maria R.

Could you please tells us about your design firm 'Akilgeeth Eco Innovation,' its Philosophy, and core competencies?

Akilgeeth Eco Innovation is a Design Studio that specializes in creating products and interior spaces that are sustainable and eco-friendly. Akilgeeth Eco Innovation bridges the gap between tradition and contemporary. It combines the best of both to give a unique experience. This could be through experience the sustainable products or the designed space. The philosophy is that it "Makes life Brighter." The core principle of Akilgeeth is to "Innovate, Create, Experiment, and Inspire through new ideas and designs. The vision is to think outside the realm to create a customer-oriented design experience.

How did you know that you had an "eye" for interiors and designing and what led you to venture in the handicraft sector? Please share your career path up till now with us.

I am a passionate person, who loves design and admire the beauty in nature and in life.

I was born in Mumbai and grew most of my life in Chennai. As a child I enjoyed arts and crafts in which I excelled throughout my education days. I admired architecture and art both man-made and natural. This attitude and passion grew inside me to make me the designer that I am today. I graduated with Bachelors in Visual Communication securing a university rank while majored in Graphics and Animation. After which I got the opportunity to work and study in the United States of America. There, again I pursued my education in Industrial design, majoring in furniture design and a minor in environmental design. I also have educational background in Advertising and Interior design.

I have worked for more than 6 years in different design firms as Art and Production designer both in India and the United States. I was fortunate to work on a short film, a production of Sony Pictures. This has provided me with a wide spectrum of knowledge into the world of media, design, and entertainment. After my education I came back to Chennai to explore more options as a sustainable designer.

Being an Industrial designer by qualification and an entrepreneur by profession; what led your attention and focus towards sustainability and eco-friendly products?

The exposure while becoming an industrial designer introduced me to the concept of sustainability. Newly gained knowledge in sustainability stirred me into a new philosophy, after which I started to observe and identify new technology and material that had gone unnoticed. I was inspired by the idea to design sustainable products. I am deeply curious towards new material and technology and this keen vision inspires me to combining traditional cultures with modern style. Design requires me to think critically and creatively, which draws my innate talents. The experience that I gained while working as a creative designer for more than 10 years along with my parents in their entrepreneurial venture gave me the strength and energy to start my own new venture independently.

With this enterprising ability and the passion as a designer, I venture into the world to take risks; this challenges me.

What was the concept and inspiration behind introducing products made of banana fibres? Please tell us the USP of these products.

The exposure to sustainability and environmental issues stirred me into a new dimension, wherein I designed furniture from an eco-friendly material. Traditional artifacts and handicrafts products are made from sustainable and eco-friendly materials. There is such diversity and intricacy in the various artifacts but they are still in such balance with the environment. These curiosities brought about a change that why not use the simple handicrafts methods to create industrial contemporary products, which is the USP of my products. I started experimenting this concept and innovate designs. Experimentation yielded ample opportunity for exploring imaginative business solution that satisfies the practicality of the real world.

The various products are created from natural fibres. The raw material in most cases is waste product or discarded as garbage. For instance in the case of the banana plant, the fruits, leaves and the flowers are all consumed as food product but the trunk of the plant is considered waste but the trunk has such medicinal value and rich in fibre contented. The viscosity and water retention is very high and also highly bacterial repellent. Similarly, different parts of various plants can be used to create useful and unique products.

Could you please brief us about your complete products portfolio? Which product of yours has received lot of recognition and why?

Most of my products as mentioned before are made from natural fibers or plant materials. In order to produce unique product experience, I merged traditional jacquard weaving with contemporary style lighting systems. The process of jacquard weaving that is used to manufacture silk sarees with intricate Indian motifs is applied but here instead of the threads, fibers of banana or bamboo strips are used to make fabric with patterns.

In one such experimentation, Contemporary furniture was designed and made from Banana fibers with an additional of a Led lighting system. This design received recognition both aboard and in India. In India, it was chosen as the Winner of Design Mile's Future Build Project's -"Best in Category for Future Eco Products" and was also featured in Home Review, a nationally acclaimed magazine in India. And was also featured in IA&B Magazine.

The furniture piece's name -"IN PARADISE" and the unique asymmetrical form is inspired from the most exotic variety of the banana family - "the bird of paradise" flower. The furniture is designed to be multifunctional. The user determines the purpose; it could be a side table or end table or just a conversational art piece. The lighting system has a dual duty, both as an ambient and as a reading light with its flexible arms to adjust the height for the user. The manufacturing process of the furniture mainly involves the process of overlaying the banana fabric on an inner structure similar to that of our skeleton system. The banana stem extracts is used similar to that of a cotton thread, which are weaved to form the fabric. The woven fabric is strong and has a beautiful natural color, texture, and pattern to it.

How are you promoting your eco-friendly products in the domestic market? Does the firm have any plan to make its way towards the overseas market as well? Please share if any other future plans you have?

As a beginning to my design journey, I design and market different contemporary lightings. Most of my pieces are now custom designed and exclusive to individual clients both domestic and internationally. Apart from the traditional jacquard weaving contemporary lighting systems, I am exploring new materials like pomegranate skins and pineapple fibers to create home furnishing products made from these new sustainable material that could be designed differently so as to cater to the world market.

New developments give rise to changes in methods and techniques of product processing. When the world is so rapidly changing I have to be open-minded and enthusiastic to adapt these changes for my personal and professional growth in the world of business and design. My ambition is to travel around the world in search of the next new sustainable materials and generate new thoughts patterns that combine tradition with contemporary style, products that are given a new identity or purpose.

What as per you are the challenges prevailing in the sustainable industry and the way to overcome it?

As a designer, the challenges I face today are the customer's awareness towards sustainability. They know the value and the need for a greener life but they fail to implement it. Today, people have come a long way and now understand the need and are striving to make good choices and better options to lead a greener life. To me "Being Green" is not the buzzword or the in thing but a smart move. Designing simple products that are unique is hard. Production of products through fewer resources, less waste or minimal toxic emission with an economical value is good design. Products are to be created which are of high quality right from the start. A good design, affirms the positive aspects of the relationship between humans and nature. Being green to me is to make products that are better for the humans and help the environment at the same time. Being better educated and educating other about the value of green living is very important now. I have realized that for me to serve the community is to make products and services that are exclusively sustainable and eco-friendly. I am sure by these ways I can over come the challenges

Would you like to share some of your experiences that have inspired you most with our readers?

By nature I am an optimistic person and I work hard with a strong determination in anything I do; this energy is my inspiration and has given me much success in life. My best experience that inspired me is the " In Paradise - Contemporary furniture" which brought me laurels. I get inspired from a small flower to big architectural monuments. The spark that ignites me is as varied as Mother Nature and my character. This varied inspiration gives me the aspiration to created and innovate diverse style of products. Opportunities are everywhere, there are no limits to what I can do as it is limited only by the thoughts and actions that I chose.