Idea 69 of 500. Cluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
Batik in contemporary design, not only the tourist palette
The mechanism, from the book
The Zermatt water bottle. Sigiriya has not got a stone with its own name on it.
Every idea in cluster 3 uses this mechanism.
A first step
Work with a batik maker on two contemporary designs, in colours outside the usual tourist palette, and produce a small run of cushion covers or wall pieces. Show them to an interior designer in Colombo and to a concept store, and ask for an order. Their order, or their changes to the design, is the proof.
- Who pays first
- Interior designers, concept stores and design-conscious buyers who want batik that belongs in a modern room.
- What leaves today
- Batik is sold as a cheap tourist souvenir; contemporary design sells the same craft into homes at design prices.
The idea and the mechanism are from the book. The first step was written for this site as a suggestion; if you know a better one, say so.
The test
Does it keep value that now leaves the island, or build the proof that lets somebody else do so?
The only test any idea on this site has to pass. The four rules that go with it are here.
In the book
- Ch. FiveThe Most Photographed Rock in the World
The Matterhorn water bottle and the souvenir that is from there
More from cluster 3
Idea 69 of the 500 in the appendix of Why Not Sri Lanka? Every one can be started by one person, one family or one small firm.