Artesan Gateway 2021 Sustainable Retail challenge.

Awards of participation certificates were presented to design students from the Department of Art and Design for participating in the Artesan Gateway 2021 Sustainable Retail challenge. The challenge introduced the awardees to the creative manufacturing and handmade sector giving them an opportunity to work in teams of 5 to showcase their skills and improve their knowledge and understanding of the world of sustainability within retail and design.

The event held on Wednesday 5th October 2021 culminated in presentations by the teams proposing solutions to the design problems that had been shared by the global enterprises in Rwanda and India as part of the challenge to solve challenges faced by entrepreneurs who work at the intersection of sustainable production and consumption.

The Dean, Faculty of Built Environment and Design, Prof. Robert W. Rukwaro who graced the event acknowledged the synergy between learning and practice environments. He noted that the challenge was significant in giving students an experience of the real work situation and encouraged more such kind of engagement in future.

The participating students were selected after a brief of the challenge was discussed with the department of Art and Design and Interior designer Ms.Goodie Odhiambo as part of mentorship program.  Ms. Odhiambo together with Ms Julia Kamuiru a product design lecturer in the department provided the students with direction and feedback in regard to their projects to assist them navigate as they progressed. 

Artesan Gateway is a collaborative community focused on cultivating social impact in the sustainable livelihoods and lifestyle sector. Cognizant that change is most effective at the local community, it is committed to initiatives that positively impact vulnerable people who are in a process of transition brought about by technological, social, economic and political change by building communities and networks of social impact champions and entrepreneurs through fostering collaboration & peer learning from like-minded organizations, entrepreneurs, designers and consumers at the intersection of sustainable production and consumption.

The challenge that commenced in June of 2021 is a problem statement seeking answers through innovation and strategy from creative manufacturing and handmade sector entrepreneurs focused on sustainability globally to provide the students with first-hand visibility to the challenges and opportunities in the sector and will culminate in Bangalore, India at the Artesan Gateway’s flagship Fair Play Forum in January of 2022.