BLOCKED - the brand was launched by Afsheen Numair in 2002. Since graduating from the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture, Afsheen has been teaching print design there since 1999. The idea for BLOCKED started with the need for doing something which would change the way people perceive block prints, and be a departure from the traditional designs and patterns one normally associates with wood
block printing. Afsheen draws inspiration for her blocks from various sources; old textile books, her surroundings, travels, animals, everyday use objects, (sometimes even as mundane as pots and pans, lightbulbs and teacups), and so much more. Her unique perspective, design aesthetic and careful use of colour, turns these objects into artfully designed patterns and motifs for her hand block printed pieces, making them truly unique, memorable, sometimes even a tad bit quirky. In addition to being faculty at the Indus Valley School of Design, and her block printing business, in the past, Afsheen has also worked with Nida Azwer as head of the design team, and handled Nida's pret line for 2 years. The BLOCKED brand extends beyond wood block printing though. Sustaining and reviving age old craft is a challenge in today's world. BLOCKED has trained several women in the interior of Sindh, mainly Sanghar district, to use their embroidery and pattern making skills to create unique 'rilli', 'kingri, and 'tukri' pieces for her BLOCKED studio line. This helps in sustaining the craft as well as the craftswomen, who, within the comfort of their homes, manage to make a good income. This project has been going on since the past 10 years now and BLOCKED takes great pride in it. An added bonus of our collaboration with these skilled artisans, is that we end up doing a substantial amount of 'upcycling' , as every last scrap of fabric that is leftover, we recycle, (rather upcycle), to create fresh, new designs by using intricate patchwork and hand appliqué techniques, hence doing our bit for creating sustainable, (slow) fashion.
