Alumni
FIDM Grads and Sisters Design Upcycled Art From Industrial Waste
Born and raised in Jaipur, India, sisters Radhika Mittal (pictured at left) and Madhvi Pittie received undergraduate degrees in the U.K. in finance and accounting prior to moving to Los Angeles to study Visual Communications at FIDM. After earning their Professional Designation degrees, they returned to India to launch their start-up business, WorkshopQ, after being inspired by a class assignment where students were tasked with making a repurposed furniture piece. The duo takes excess material from households, workshops, and factories and upcycles them into home products and public art installations. We checked in with Radhika and Madhvi to learn more.
Why is upcycling important to you? The latest UN projections predict the world population to be around 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050. The need of the hour therefore is sustainable consumption and production. By efficiently using resources and looking at economic growth from an environmental perspective, WorkshopQ is redefining the sustainable narrative, where it is no longer a term but an experience that the end consumer reminisces and acts upon. We have evolved from doing home décor products to large-scale art installations and sculptures to spread awareness and provide more permanent solutions for upcycling.
What are your ultimate goals for WorkshopQ? We have a team of skilled craftsmen, designers, and fabricators who meticulously hand craft every product and art. The pandemic has been difficult for us, but with more and more people and companies adopting sustainability as their business ethos, we see incredible potential in the market. As we move towards a more direct to customer model and establish a B2B segment of smaller products along with growing our installations, we intend to scale up and segway into e-commerce.
How did FIDM help prepare you for your career? All the coursework that we studied at FIDM was always followed by a project for which we were made to source the materials and execute the project. The feedback given by the faculty taught us to design from the client’s perspective. Some of their voices still resonate in our minds today and we truly valued every minute of learning at FIDM.
Learn more at workshopq.com and on Instagram @workshopq.
Categories: Visual Communication Alumni
