Healthy Embroidery Frame

Can you provide an innovative frame design to save the ancient craft of embroidery and help embroiderers?

A call for mechanical engineers, designers, professionals and entrepreneurs to provide innovative design to help improve the working conditions for the women embroiderers of Shandaweil village in Suhag for a chance to win 20,000 EGP provided by the British Council (Developing inclusive and creative economy program) to implement the solution.

This challenge aims to the creation of significant economic opportunities for creative artisans and craftsmen in addition to supporting efforts to preserve this ancient craft from extinction. Please read the following for more details!

Background

Embroidery is an ancient craft that has existed as long as man has been able to produce fabrics. This craft demands proficiency, precision, and taste of art. There are over 300 skilled women in Shandaweil village in Suhag work in the progress of this deep-rooted craft. Despite its announced beauty, it hides enormous struggles. This ancient craft requires craftswomen to work for long hours.

During embroidering, they are bending over a tambour frame with short legs during which the sitting position for a long time causes serious injuries for their spinal cord, shoulders, and neck. The patterns drawn on the fabric quality depends on the imitating feature, not a copying tool. After finishing their workpieces they have to wash them as the fixation method stain them.

These skilled women work under these working conditions to support their families despite these difficulties and injuries. These working conditions force craftswomen to divert from the embroidery field, which threatens their economies and the existence of the embroidery craft and its legacy.

The Challenge

To design and manufacture an innovative embroidery frame stand that helps the working women during the production operations to provide more convenient working conditions and sustain this ancient craft. The submitted design should fulfill the following criteria:

• Reduce production time

• Reduce the causes of spinal injuries

• Improve the fixation technique to protect the textiles from being torn or damaged

• Varying dimensions

• Adjustable fixations

• Easy to use

• Utilizes locally-manufactured and/or locally-available components

• Built-in adjustable lighting

• Integrate a creative mechanism to enable the embroiderers to trace drawings and symbols on textiles (Preferred)

Reward and Conditions

The winner will receive a reward of 20,000 EGP provided by the British Council - Developing Inclusive and Creative Economy program to implement the solution, according to the following conditions:

• The solution should meet the aforementioned criteria

• The solution should be provided as a prototype design that serves as a proof of concept

• The solution should include a clear plan of action including implementation stages to produce the final prototype, timeline, required tools/materials, estimated budget, and technical support required (if applicable)

• Preference will be given to designs including higher percentages of local components

• The reward will be given in installments, in accordance with milestones set by the innovator(s) according to their plan of action

As per our platform Terms and Conditions, in case the intellectual property rights are not registered, the innovator should include the minimum details required to judge the technical validity and feasibility of the solution without full technical specifications.

You can submit a solution at any time. Before doing so, we strongly recommend you to read the rules and FAQs.

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