SAFA : The Heritage Line
The SAFA Heritage Line is reimagining local craft traditions through contemporary, socially conscious design, creating products that serve as authentic cultural merchandise while increasing economic opportunities for women and their families.
Project Type: Product Design
Date Started : July 2025
Location: Hyderabad
People: Individual
Status: Manufacturing
Context
SAFA, a non-profit organization based in Hyderabad, India is focussed on women and youth empowerment. It has a flagship program named Artizania, which provides a platform for women artisans at the grassroots to showcase their talent and translate it into sustainable livelihoods, focusing on eco-friendly products.
Traditional skills like weaving, embroidery, crochet, and stonework remain underrepresented in mainstream markets. In Telangana, these crafts hold deep cultural significance but are often overlooked as sources of sustainable income. This creates a pressing need for socially conscious, heritage-rooted design that both preserves these traditions and generates meaningful livelihoods for women artisans.
There is a need to connect Hyderabad’s cultural legacy with modern sustainable products that can provide sustainable livelihoods.
Goal
Introduce new designs to the existing product lines of SAFA
Launch a new product line that is inspired by local heritage that can be sold as souvenirs for Hyderabad and Telangana.
Process
Conducted in-depth craft research on Telangana’s weaving, embroidery, crochet, and stonework traditions through user and artisan interviews.
Analyzed current product lines to identify market gaps, consumer needs, and opportunities for heritage-rooted yet contemporary products.
Mapped production feasibility by aligning artisan skills with scalable, market-ready opportunities and exploring business models for broader reach.
Led ideation and prototyping to design new variations and trend-driven products appealing to Gen Z, combining heritage aesthetics with modern usability.
Created mockups, performed material testing, and iterated prototypes to ensure cultural resonance, functionality, and sustainable production readiness
Facilitated user testing with target audiences to refine product functionality, visual appeal, and market positioning.
Research
Who this is for?
The details
Business Model
Service blueprint
Developed a heritage-inspired product line that translates traditional skills into modern, lifestyle-oriented merchandise.
Positioned the collection as Telangana-branded merchandise, strengthening cultural visibility.
Enhanced SAFA’s potential to generate sustainable livelihoods for women artisans and increase benefits for their families.
Currently progressing toward market launch, with prototypes validated for appeal and feasibility.
Outcome
Learnings
Safa has made me aware of my privilege. It has taught me humility and empathy. I am beginning to understand how design can make such an impact in the lives of the beneficiaries and joy to the end customers.