Fab India Case Study
FAB INDIA
Company profile
• History
In 1958, well before American companies were sourcing from India, John Bissell left his position as a buyer for Macy’s New York to work as a consultant for the Ford Foundation in order to develop India’s export potential in its emerging textile industry. What Bissell discovered was a village-based industry with a profusion of skills hidden from the world. Determined to showcase Indian handloom textiles while providing equitable employment to traditional artisans, Bissell established Fabindia in 1960 in order to fuse the best aspects of East/West collaboration. Fifteen years later the first Fabindia retail store was opened in Greater Kailash, New Delhi with a range of upholstery fabrics, durries and home linens. By the early eighties, we started producing garments made from hand woven and hand block printed fabrics.
Over the years the focus of Fabindia's marketing shifted from exports to the local Indian retail market. What started as an export house has today become a successful retail business presenting Indian textiles in a variety of natural fibers, and home products including furniture, lights and lamps, stationery, home accessories, pottery and cutlery. Extending this partnership to the farmers in rural areas, Fabindia launched its organic food products range in 2004. Fabindia's authentic Personal care products range is also being launched at all Fabindia outlets. Today they have retail outlets in all major cities of India - 110 at last count - in addition to international stores in Dubai, UAE; 3 stores in Bahrain; Doha, State of Qutar and Rome, Italy.
• Vision and Mission
Fabindia believes that it does more than just collect and sell handicrafts. It sees itself as an enabler of a certain way of life. By doing its business in a certain way, it is trying to demonstrate that the urban living model is not the only path to development for a society. It istrying to prove that old patterns of living do not
Company profile
• History
In 1958, well before American companies were sourcing from India, John Bissell left his position as a buyer for Macy’s New York to work as a consultant for the Ford Foundation in order to develop India’s export potential in its emerging textile industry. What Bissell discovered was a village-based industry with a profusion of skills hidden from the world. Determined to showcase Indian handloom textiles while providing equitable employment to traditional artisans, Bissell established Fabindia in 1960 in order to fuse the best aspects of East/West collaboration. Fifteen years later the first Fabindia retail store was opened in Greater Kailash, New Delhi with a range of upholstery fabrics, durries and home linens. By the early eighties, we started producing garments made from hand woven and hand block printed fabrics.
Over the years the focus of Fabindia's marketing shifted from exports to the local Indian retail market. What started as an export house has today become a successful retail business presenting Indian textiles in a variety of natural fibers, and home products including furniture, lights and lamps, stationery, home accessories, pottery and cutlery. Extending this partnership to the farmers in rural areas, Fabindia launched its organic food products range in 2004. Fabindia's authentic Personal care products range is also being launched at all Fabindia outlets. Today they have retail outlets in all major cities of India - 110 at last count - in addition to international stores in Dubai, UAE; 3 stores in Bahrain; Doha, State of Qutar and Rome, Italy.
• Vision and Mission
Fabindia believes that it does more than just collect and sell handicrafts. It sees itself as an enabler of a certain way of life. By doing its business in a certain way, it is trying to demonstrate that the urban living model is not the only path to development for a society. It istrying to prove that old patterns of living do not