Utthan
locally found cottons, linen
INDIVIDUAL PROJECT
15 WEEKS | SPIRNG 26 SEMESTER
THESIS | PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN
Utthan is a specialised kit designed for female labourers of the Global South to reclaim their personal safety and professional autonomy. By removing the need for middlemen or employers, this initiative ensures that the women themselves are the owners of their protection.
Utthan places the power of protection directly into the hands of those who need it most.
The Question
How can we deconstruct traditional design methodologies and rethink them as instruments of redistribution, ensuring equitable access for those historically overlooked by socio-economic structures.
The Current Issue
Head loading is at the intersection of economic necessity and gendered labour, primarily concentrated in the Global South due to persistent infrastructure gaps and the devaluation of women’s work.
By framing the practice as ‘unskilled,’ societies justify low wages and a lack of labour protections, even though the task requires physically demanding balance to manage heavy loads over uneven terrain, in harsh weather, and without safety.
Research
History and Culture of Head Loading
The current global economic landscape has marginalised female laborers and they face systemic discrimination. In these spaces, female workers are forced to provide intensive labour for negligible pay, unregulated and disrespectful environments that offer no legal recourse or protection.
Head loading is at the intersection between economic necessity and gendered labour, primarily concentrated in the Global South due to persistent infrastructure gaps and the devaluation of women’s work.By framing the practice as ‘unskilled,’ societies justify low wages and a lack of labour protections, even though the task requires such physically demanding balance to manage heavy loads over uneven terrains, in harsh weather and no safety.
Market Analysis
Ideation
Material Considerations
Cultural heritage
The rich history of textiles like bandhani, chikankari, kalamkari should be celebrated as should these women who have been forced to be silent and invisible.
By repurposing traditional cotton textiles, material selection focuses on:
Affordability
The material is available and widely owned and so users can simply use something they own to mak thier own kit, with no additional overhead costs.
Familiarity
Lastly they deserve respect and to be treated well, so using cotton and something familiar, they won’t feel out of place or uncomfortable.
Designs like these don’t and shouldn’t exist alone. They work in tandem with multiple systems. But the core to this is the female labourers.
Collaborative design is an opportunity to realise good design. Working with different stakeholders means understanding who holds each other accountable, who is reliable to make decisions and who maintains this relationship.
Identifying these connections and who is in their best interest, can help keep this aligned towards progress.
Instruction Manual
Assembly
Utthan
(oo.th.aa.n)
to endeavour to rise, to uplift to empower
Utthan is a specialised kit designed for female labourers to reclaim their personal safety and professional autonomy. By removing the need for middlemen or employers, this initiative ensures that the women themselves are the owners of their protection. Utthan places the power of protection directly into the hands of those who need it most.
Design often fails those in need by overwriting their stories. utthan chooses to listen. we are moving forward to raise working standards, restore the dignity and independence stolen from these women, and bring awareness to their current living and working conditions.