Mumbai-based Taxi Fabric shows you how to judge a cab by its cover
Mumbaikars, team Taxi Fabric is gearing up to make your daily ride a super stylish one. Premier Padmini cabs– whose black-and-yellow faces look as old as hills—are now getting an artistic make-over.
Taxi Fabric, consisting of Sanket Avlani, Mahak Malik, Nathalie Gordon and Girish Narayandass, has kickstarted this campaign that allow young illustrators to revamp the good old taxis of the city.
Designer Sanket Avlani took a bit shine to these taxis when he started travelling in them two years ago. The gaudy designs—of petals, foliage, animals and geometric lines— have caught his fancy ever since. He used to post the pictures of these flamboyant seat covers on his blog. Here are some of them:
And this spurred the birth of Taxi Fabric. Speaking to Folomojo, the team shares, “This project transforms taxi seats into the canvas of one’s imagination. It creates a space for designers to showcase their ideas.”
The team believes, “Taxis in India, particularly in Mumbai, are not only the most convenient form of transport but have also become an iconic piece of culture. Though much attention is given to each taxi by its driver, little thought is given to the fabric used on the seats. The designs that cover the taxi seats are often functional and forgettable and with the outstanding design talent that Mumbai has to offer, this shouldn’t be the case.”
This is what drives the team. Under the self-funded project, Taxi Fabric has so far dolled up five cabs at an average cost of Rs 15,000 each and looks forward to dressing up 25 more by the end of the year.
Here are the five make-overs:
A photo posted by Taxi Fabric (@taxifabric) on
A photo posted by Taxi Fabric (@taxifabric) on
A photo posted by Taxi Fabric (@taxifabric) on
You can see more of their creativity here.
The Mumbai-centric artworks on taxi seats are fast grabbing attention. And now, the team is crowdfunding their project on Kickstarter, a funding platform for creative projects, that needs to raise £8,000.
“We have as many as 40 designers in queue to let their imagination run riot on the taxi seats,” beams the team.
So, Mumbaikars, if you want to make your daily ride a thing to remember, here’s what you should do. Meanwhile, the rest of India can also give a thought to it.
Also read:
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