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YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR CLUB. BECOME A MEMBER TODAY.
The One Club community is filled with super talented and extraordinary individuals. So to conclude 2025, we are taking the time to highlight a handful of our members, get to know them a little better, and understand why they love being a part of the club. We are hoping their stories inspire you to create great work and get excited to become a member yourself.
Originally from India, Pallavi Padukone is a textile designer and material artist who now lives in NYC. Her work, Reminiscent, won a Merit Honor in the 2024 ADC Annual Awards craft category. In this interview, we cover Pallavi’s creative process, her favorite project, and how she continues to learn new skills to improve her craft.
How did you first learn about The One Club for Creativity?
I was first acquainted with The One Club through the annual ADC awards. I’m glad it brought me here and look forward to being a part of this creative community and all that it offers.
What does being a part of an innovative and creative community mean to you?
For me, being part of a creative community helps fuel my inspiration. It motivates me to be innovative, learn new skills, and share resources, experiences, and challenges within a supportive network.
I believe creativity thrives in an environment where people exchange perspectives, constructive criticism, and encourage experimentation. I come from a family with many creative individuals. My mother is a graphic designer, and I have cousins and relatives who are ceramic artists, textile designers, illustrators, and musicians. Art and creative expression has always been a large part of my family’s life.
“I believe creativity thrives in an environment where people exchange perspectives, constructive criticism, and encourage experimentation.”
I am grateful for the people I have crossed paths with along the way. I have met friends, colleagues, and mentors through university, internships, and apprenticeships. I have also met people while working in the creative industry, participating in online communities and workshops, and attending exhibitions and lectures.
One of the things I love about living in New York City is its large, diverse, and thriving creative community. You are bound to find like-minded individuals who provide a sense of belonging. Trips to museums, galleries, and annual events like New York Textile month have expanded my creative circle and allowed me to connect with others who share similar interests.
How does The One Club enhance your work, creativity, and community?
I’m excited to be involved in The One Club, because it is an opportunity to connect with other creatives and gain insights into different innovative fields, expose my work to a new audience, and explore potential collaborations.
“It is an opportunity to connect with other creatives and gain insights into different innovative fields, expose my work to a new audience, and explore potential collaborations.”
What were your creative outlets when you were a kid?
I grew up in Bangalore, India and was exposed to different forms of art at an early age. My mother used to work in a gallery, where I would often visit her at work. I also enrolled in an art class led by one of the artists on the weekends. I remember spending my summer vacations attending art classes and keeping myself busy with plenty of DIY craft projects. I loved making handmade cards for birthdays and special occasions. I remember the first time my grandparents took a trip to the US and came home with craft supplies. Chenille pipe cleaners, foam shapes, and glitter glue were a game changer for me. I remember adding glitter and sparkles to anything and everything I could lay my hands on.
Can you share the story of how you ended up where you are now?
I am a textile designer and artist. Textiles are deeply rooted in India’s history, and their richness and craft constantly inform my artistic approach and design. My use of color intuitively comes from my sights, surrounding landscapes, and memories.
My first interaction with textiles was during a tie-dye workshop in middle school. I decided to specialize in this field during my undergraduate education in India because working with my hands is instinctive. My semester in Gothenburg, Sweden learning about fiber art really opened my eyes to how complex this medium can be. I started to view fibers and fabrics with a conceptual lens.
I fell in love with the idea of using textiles as a medium for art and I experimented with different techniques and met a lot of interesting people in the field. Then I went to get my MFA in New York where I focused on the integration of scent and textiles, using fragrance as a form of embellishment.
Overtime, I find my curiosity delving deeper into the intersection of design, craft, art, and technology. My interest in fragrance combined with my love for fibers has been a fascinating learning process.
I believe Olfactory art is an area that has great scope for exploration and innovation. I experiment with natural ways to integrate and infuse scents into crafted textiles. Using fragrant roots and scent-coated yarn, I explore how scents can be expressed visually. I also explore their ability to condense time and distance, and create an immersive experience to reconnect with nature, nostalgia, home, and identity.
“Using fragrant roots and scent-coated yarn, I explore how scents can be expressed visually.”
While I do enjoy being an artist and the creative freedom it gives me, I also love working on client projects. My interest in weave construction, artisans, and craft practices has led me to where I am today in the luxury home interiors industry. I currently specialize in custom handcrafted and handmade rugs.
How do you approach a creative project from scratch?
Usually, when I’m working on a new piece, it starts with inspiration of some kind. It could be a concept, image, location, feeling, technique, color palette, mood, scent, or texture. Anything that sparks an idea or my curiosity. Over many cups of tea, I start pulling content – researching images and colors to create a mood board. I’m a visual person, so having all my ideas mapped out helps me brainstorm.
After I narrow down what I want to focus on, I move on to sketching and drawing. Then I create a plan for materials and costs, and make a timeline of the project before I dive into details. Taking a break to walk in the park helps me clear my head so I can get back to work and focus.
What motivates you to complete challenging projects?
The satisfaction of problem-solving and coming up with a solution is what I find rewarding about working on a challenging project. It always ends up being a good learning process. Often when I’m stuck in a rut, overthinking, and unable to navigate a project, it helps me to get an outsider’s perspective – it gives me clarity to take a step back and revisit the project with fresh eyes.
How do you support your ongoing professional development?
Attending trade shows, open houses, workshops, online webinars and subscribing to magazines and journals help me to stay informed with the industry I’m in. When it comes to learning new skills, I self-educate – I watch online tutorials for embroidery and weaving techniques or learn from friends. I go to public libraries, museums, and art galleries, and attend shows and seminars to network and learn from experts in the field.
What is your favorite project you have worked on?
The Kalpavriksha (Tree of Life) was a commissioned project as part of my final thesis for my undergrad education 10 years ago, but remains my favorite and most memorable project to date. The brief was to create a traveling installation for museums on the history, art, and culture of the Malabar region in South India. I focused on the coconut and its cultural significance.
I had the opportunity to travel across Kerala, India, collecting research, conducting field visits and interviews, and visiting museums and craft fairs. I sourced materials and interacted with local families, artisans, historians, botanists, and craft clusters.
I documented how different parts of the tree are used in daily life, rituals, celebrations, cuisine, and attire, and its relevance to the region’s history and folklore. I collaborated with handloom sari weavers and cane-work artisans from Bangalore to create a sculptural handwoven textile installation inspired by the Tree Of Life.
In South India, the coconut palm is eulogized as the mythological tree that grants all necessities of life. This is because every part of the tree from the leaves to its roots are utilized for food, drink, shelter, medicine, and more. The sculpture symbolizes a dissected coconut and represents the its value. Working on this project was a turning point in the trajectory of my work with textiles and fiber art. It was my first deep dive into research methods, craft documentation, fiber and weave experimentation, and creative collaboration.
What is the most rewarding part about your work?
The most rewarding part of my work is that I get to do what I love. I love seeing others experience what I create, especially if it resonates with them in some way. When it comes to designing handmade rugs and working on custom projects, I’m learning something new every day. Collaborating with artisans has always been a passion of mine – it’s a process that deeply inspires me and keeps me connected to the art of traditional craftsmanship.
What are you looking forward to in the upcoming months?
I am focusing on making new work. I took a long break from my personal art practice, but I finally feel like my hands are itching to make things again. It can be a challenge to feel inspired and motivated with everything that is happening in the world around us. Working with my hands has always been meditative – it brings me a sense of calm and comfort, which I definitely need to channel.
