As a rule, Indian people are not (yet) do-it-your-selfers, but the stencil kit developed by Women on Wings, along with AkzoNobel and RangSutra in India, will soon change all that. Product development takes up a great deal of time. A challenging yet educational collaboration.

The idea for the ‘kit’ with stencils, paint, brushes and an inspiration book came about during a brainstorming session with AkzoNobel. The idea is under continuous refinement until it results in just the right content and outcome. Expert Karen de Loos works with Prachi Grover, Women on Wings consultant in India, and with AkzoNobel and RangSutra on the product development. Karen finds herself travelling to India on a regular basis for this.

Karen: “It is quite challenging. But every time we work together we take steps to optimize the kit. Now we are working on the packaging and the cost price, as the sales price has to fit within the Indian market. We are going to introduce this product to retailer, Fabindia, among others, and later to other home decoration retailers. We are in constant and full swing to realize the aim of this partnership; creating jobs for women in rural India.”

The stencil kit links old traditions with modern users and women in the countryside with women in the city. Indian houses are decorated according to tradition with murals. In the countryside it’s something you see quite often. The target group for the stencil kit is the urban, Indian, middle class woman who likes to mix traditional with a modern edge. These women can decorate their houses themselves with modern designs in lovely shades of Dulux paint (the Indian paint brand of AkzoNobel). The stencils are handmade by women in the countryside around the city of Varanasi.