Jhunjhun Jain of Outlin’d will showcase her works at By Hand From The Heart Makers Market in Chennai. She shares with us her creative pursuits and entrepreneurial journey. Read on…

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a carpenter by profession. Studied in Delhi at DPS Vasant Kunj, after which I headed to the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore where I studied 3D design. Finally landed in Loughborough University to do my Masters in Product Design. I’ve been working with Nicobar since 2015 as a pop-up designer, and I lead out-of-channel marketing.

How did you begin Outlin’d and how has it evolved over the years?

Outlin’d was launched in September 2017 at the London Design Festival, but it was conceptualised much earlier in 2014 as a simple set of coasters crafted in cork. It only materialised into a cohesive collection of 10 products in 2017.

Over the past few years, Outlin’d has evolved into a striking collection of functional homeware, ranging from coasters and placemats to bookshelves and laptop sleeves, all made entirely out of cork.

The first ever product (a set of coasters inspired by Jharokas) was conceived in 2014 in an inconspicuous workshop in Singapore, and was first received publicly at the Red Dot Museum in Singapore.

From there, in the special way that life is, the collection made its way to the Indian state of Rajasthan, where so much of the design is inspired from. It was exhibited in the design studio at Alsisar Haveli, Jaipur.

The inspiration to design a more comprehensive collection with a focus on Indian heritage and architecture only grew from there, and we found ourselves with an invite to the prestigious London Design Week, 2017. The entire collection was showcased there for the first time ever.

The national launch happened at The India Story, where Outlin’d was a part of an experience unmatched by any other platform, and we were completely sold out by the end of event.

Outlin’d was developed with the idea of showcasing Indian architecture through products. Outlin’d celebrates the intricacy of Indian design without the colour and the glitter, it caters to a market of people believing in thoughtful acquisitions and meaningful products.

Why is making so important to you? 

My father manufacturers railway seating systems for Indian railways. My father is a maker. My mother is sculptor and an artist. My mother is a maker. My elder sister is a chemical engineer who bakes like a goddess. My sister is a maker. I’ve been brought up in an environment where everyone is super hands on and the value of tangibility has been engraved in me. For me, I doubt if there is any better way of expressing my world other than through these pieces I make.

Your work space?

My work space is a Barsati. In North India, the concept of barsati is pretty eminent. It’s nothing but a terrace house attached to a garden space. I dream here. It’s always open to anyone who would like to come and ideate, be inspired or simply read over chai.

Describe your artistic process.

As Paul Klee put’s it, A line is a dot that went for a walk. I start from one inspiration/idea and then give it full freedom to take me anywhere it belongs to settle. One can never follow one process for creation. Otherwise, they will always create the same outcome. That’s the beauty of making.

What is currently on your work table?
3 Ghalib books, 2 other books, Chai, and my to-do list.

What is your personal favorite pick from your Outlin’d right now? And why?

My favourites are Aiyana Kari (the wine glass stand) and Meharaab (the tea tray). Aiyana Kaari is inspired by aiyana kaari in Mughal architecture and this is my take on intricate cutwork in cork. Wine is a luxurious drink, which I wanted to serve it in an equally opulent way, and this wine glass stand felt like the best medium. Nothing like this exists in the market.

I like Meharaab because it’s functional and harks back to the olden days when cups and saucers were an inseparable duo. This tea tray features grooves to hold coasters that also double up as saucers, and that’s my connect to the culture of Indian past.

What are your displaying at the By Hand, From The Heart.

The collection I took for London Design Festival and the second round of the same.

Any design story you would like to share.

Cork is not manufactured anywhere in India, so I started importing my materials from Spain and Portugal. Since no one in India works with cork, the process of R&D was really put to the test; my own carpentry skills were put to use to be able to create a blueprint for the labourers, which they then worked off, and learnt about the product on the go.

With Aiyana Kaari (wine glass stand) the functionality of the product was compromised for a while because I couldn’t get the balance of the product right. Luckily for me, a few months down the line I teamed up with Saahil Mendiratta, an ex-colleague and a confidant, who with his background in physics and an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) degree, helped build better functionality into the products, especially with this particular design that I had been struggling with for so long.

Meet the Maker @
By Hand From The Heart Makers Market 24th Edition
Friday – Saturday
24th – 25th August, 2018
10:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m
Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park, (old Adyar Gate Hotel)
132, T.T.K Road, Alwarpet, Chennai – 600018, India.

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