The Hindu Business Line : International design award for desi slippers

IT's eco-friendly, completely biodegradable, costs all of Rs 12 and has just got India a place in the rarified atmosphere of international industrial design.

Pune's Mr Satish Gokhale, the man who designed `solemates', disposable slippers, made out of papier mache, is thrilled that his product has bagged him a bronze medal at the prestigious Industrial Design Excellence Awards 2005 (IDEA) instituted by the Industrial Designer's Society of America (IDSA).

But he is doubly kicked because the award came to him after competing with the likes of Nike, Sony, iPod and Motorola which were among the 600 entries in the consumer products category of the contest.

"It is a bronze but it is a huge step ahead for India's industrial design space which is maturing fast and growing at a great pace," said Mr Gokhale, a National Institute of Design alumnus who along with his wife, Ms Phalguni, runs design firm Design Directions in Pune.

For Mr Gokhale, the award is the culmination of three years of slogging over the product, which he is convinced, has great potential in everyday life. "Hotel chains, hospitals, shop floors, even our homes are where this product can be used. Every time I visit a hospital and am expected to wear the worn-out, dirty looking slipper they offer, I think of what a product like this can do to improve the situation. Even at home, when we expect our guests to use our slippers, it is actually not a very pleasant thing to do," said Mr Gokhale who says the risk of skin infections can be completely eliminated with `solemates'.

The slippers, meanwhile, made out of paper pulp are designed to be anti-skid and also `breathe' and break easily for efficient disposal.

At current prices the cost of the slipper works out to Rs 12 plus applicable taxes. "There are no subsidies on eco-friendly products or it could have been cheaper," said Mr Gokhale who is now working to make it commercial.

"It is a huge amount of work for what is essentially a design house but I have received several enquiries from the USA for marketing it and I am examining my options before taking any decision," he signs off adding that he has filed for a patent for the product.

Among the winners, which bagged gold medals in this year's consumer products category is a fetch toy for dogs `spring roll', a smart lunch bag, the iPod Shuffle, the Gerber Sippy Snacker, a Café Solo coffee maker and the Motorola Razr V3 mobile phone. Silver medallists at the contest include Timberland travel gear, a self-watering flowerpot, Whirlpool's fabric freshener and a three-stage baby transporter.

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