Dream Goal to Reality
It all started back in 2017 after the idea been boiling in me for several years.
The "Grooves" collection was my initial line and followed right after by the "Fai" Collection. Both to be launched at IDS20.
In this blog, I'll be writing about "Fai," and in a separate blog, I will address the "Grooves."
As I started sketching "Fai," I knew my goals. I wanted to design for the Hospitality & Residential sectors.
I wanted unique pieces, durable in style and quality, high-end, outstanding craftsmanship and Made in Italy. I wanted to create my style, not following any trends; I wanted it to be 100% my creation without any influences.
The style of "Fai" got set after a few pencil strokes in my red sketchbook. From there, everything got transferred into a digital format, and I start studying all the details, shapes and proportions of the unit. So far, I am still analyzing all the drawings in a 2D format. Once, establishing all the details in 2D, the 3D Phase and materials selection starts.
That was the artistic part of my dream goal, now things are starting to get more serious, and the hunt for manufacturers and partners in Italy began in the First Quarter of 2018. After a few trips to Italy, and by October 2018, we had narrowed down our list to few companies. By January 2019, we have selected our partners, and the countdown to meet our deadline for IDS20 starts.
In February 2019, the work on the Credenza from the "Fai" collection began.
After many conference calls, reviews, and a couple of trips within five months, the Mock-up got approved.
July is here, and now we are halfway through the year, the work started on the Bench, Entryway Mirror, Coat Stand, and Picture frames.
The same process approval was followed with Italy's set ship date to be between Mid-October and Mid-November. This phase was a bit challenging since we had a tighter deadline and more pieces to build.
Few things didn't go as planned, but we flagged those risks through our risk assessment, and we allowed some buffer time in our schedule.
The ship set sail from Italy in Mid-November and made it to Montreal as scheduled on December 17th, just before the holidays. We are four weeks away from the show opening, and two more challenges to overcome. It is coming down to the wire, fingers crossed.
Booth Design
2K1M at IDS20
The Products needed to clear Custom and arrive in Toronto at the IDS show for setting up by Monday, January 13th at the latest. And that ended up being the arrival date. Lots of stress during those two weeks, and we were already considering a plan B.
Crates placed in the booth area for unpacking and again, fingers crossed that all the pieces arrived free of damages, and nothing is missing. But this will have to wait another 24 hours until the booth is up.
On Tuesday, January 14th, the booth construction got started and needed to be ready by the end of the day, so the next day, the staging can start.
Wednesday, January 15th, the crew arrived on time and started unpacking the furniture, everything was in good shape, no damages, but some minor issues, that we had to address and improvise so we are set and ready for the show.
Thursday, January 16th, by 8:30 am, we were all set and ready, everything is glowing, lights are on, ready to welcome the trades.
It was a long road from 2017 to 2020, too many ups and downs, too many challenges, risks, disappointment and proud moments. But, at the end of the day, I reached my goal. It was only made possible due to the support of my family and friends. I thank you all for your never-ending support and uplifting throughout this journey.
Now it is time for a new adventure…
