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BIO-BRIEF of Shri Md SADIQ
Shri MD SADIQ, Chief Scientist & Head, Design and Fashion Studio is a distinguished Leather Technologist with specialization in Footwear Science and Engineering in which he holds a Master’s degree. His focus has been on Footwear Styling and Design; R & D in Trend Forecasting, Colours and Texture development and Consultancy services for range building. He has also innovated in HRD activities with accent on Shoe Design Education and Training with the flagship achievement of conceptualizing and executing a unique Shoe Styling Course – an ARS SUTORIA (Italy) of the EAST! He has also excelled in Planning for the Indian Leather sector in the area of design, trends and global competitiveness. His signature contribution has been in enabling the ‘Travel of India in fashion forecasting for LEATHER’ - an R&D initiative for garnering global leadership. He helped India gain a foothold in the prestigious MODEUROP Club and getting one Indian colour into the MODEUROP Colour Card in 1994 was a matter of prestige. Today, we have almost 70% of the colours chosen, featuring from Indian proposals. A truly commendable achievement indeed. He has also taken up the challenge to convert this opportunity to capitalize on the winning colours and translate them into fashion products through a unique initiative - Design & Retail Analysis, which is a scientific exercise to analyse the inputs available on designs and markets and identify the essentials required to forge the right combination of design, materials, components and construction in manufacturing the right product for the right market. The official MODEUROP global colour card is conceptualized and developed in India today. Keen on leveraging this success individual companies also develop season specific Customised colour cards with his expertise and guidance. The MODEUROP Colour Card brought out by CSIR-CLRI is released “first globally” by CSIR-CLRI to the Indian Leather Industry. The official MODEUROP shade card is released later. This initiative has given a substantial “lead time” to our Tanners which is a tremendous business advantage. Knowledge dissemination has been his passion and to facilitate this he has developed and hosted a fashion portal (www.indiadesignclub.com) with fortnightly updation, which is a boon for all people in the niche area of footwear fashion and for those who require advance information, sometimes even 24 months ahead of a season in advance. He regularly conducts “OUTREACH SEMINARS” pan India at all major leather hubs like Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Agra, Jalandhar and Kanpur. He is actively involved in the planning and conduct of the “cluster-centric” Exhibition of Footwear Components, Accessories, Leather and Machinery – The Ambur OPEN which has seen six successive editions and has now become a fixture in the Indian Leather Calendar. He is the brain behind the conceptualization and showcasing of the “Best of Indian merchandise in Leather and Leather products” through Theme Pavilions at various National and International Fairs – which are the gateway to these fairs and showcase Indian capabilities in Leather globally His vision also encompasses the traditional artisanal sector and he has made immense contributions in transforming the conventional Kolhapuri Footwear into a couture product through nouveau design and material innovation and positioned it as an export commodity. His design interventions led the humble Kolhapuri to move from domestic shelves to international markets under the brand name “Toe Hold” and today it is a global brand. The major landmarks in his illustrious career include:
His famous quotes: “Aim for the stars; do not lend your name to mediocrity!” "Focus on your inherent strength. No one can take away the inner-strength from you". |
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He has been conferred with many recognitions and honours in the course of his journey in leading the Indian leather and the leather product industry’s march into the foreyards of global fashion, important among them being:
In addition he has also been presented with citations for award lectures by Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI), National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Indian Leather Products Association (ILPA), Rotary Club of Madras and Diabetes Research Centre. He was conferred with the honour of being invited to deliver the prestigious Prof BM Das Memorial Lecture at the 62nd Foundation Day celebration of Indian Leather Technologists’ Association. He gives his undivided attention even to the minutest detail. He is an excellent team man and his passion for work and excellence is so infectious that it rubs off on his team members. Warm hearted and generous, he is unwavering in his commitment to improving the artisanal sector as well as the organized sector. |
