Discovering diminishing methods of textile making
Kevisedenuo Margaret Zinyu is a Design preneur, Consultant Indigenous Craft Cultures, CMF Trend Researcher, Design Educator, Incubatee at NSRCEL IIMB. She is currently located in Nagaland, India. Founder, URA Collective Weaving and Industrial Cooperative Society Ltd in Kohima Nagaland. She has a Graduate Diploma Programme in Design (GDPD) in Textile Design from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and a Diploma in Interior Design from IDeA Worldwide Fashion and Interior Design School. She had her internship as a Textile Designer at Synergy Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai.
She has the experience of working in various roles of Surface Designer, Textile Designer Creative, Colour and Trim Designer, Colour and Trim Craftsmanship, Industrial Designer; Trend Consultant of Textiles, Spaces, Design Educator; Designpreneur at firms like Xylem.in Freelance (New Delhi), PI Apparels (New Delhi), Ford Motor Company (Chennai), Chrysler India Automotive Pvt Ltd (Chennai), Tata Technologies (Pune), Design Consultant Freelance, Bajaj Auto Ltd, and Studio Predilection (Kohima, Nagaland) respectively.
Woven Threads, the brainchild of Zinyu primarily works with handloom textiles. A native of Nagaland and member of Angami tribe, Zinyu grew up fond of gardening, arranging flowers, and finding creativity in various materials. As an entrepreneur she feels empowered with the flexibility in decision making and voicing out concerns to the authorities concerned. With her work Zinyuhas been creating contemporary design while also retaining the essence of indigenous design.
A firm believer in the leadership potential that youth have, Zinyu urges that accessibility of indigenous communities to the documented oral traditions has to be made robust to the younger generation. She anticipates that the younger generation can make these aspirations come to life when working in the grassroots, bringing about social change.