India, Represented By Technicolor Taxis

With no serious thought till now for taxi fabric, its designs and fabrics, a Mumbai-based art-collective Taxi Fabric designed 26 taxis themed on the city beaches, mumbaikers and the famous dabbawallahs or the delivery men.

Interestingly, the taxis are vibrant, multicolored, animated designed and these 26 designs got featured in the music video for Coldplay's Hymn for the Weekend. According to reports, normally known as a creatively challenged city, Mumbai now has with it the exact answer to all its criticisms with the taxis.

Art director Sanket Avlani is the leader of the three young and enthusiastic designers who got inspired by the 1990’s and with Mumbai as their theme picked up their brushes to design a few cabs on separate themes. Avlani started the project last year with three fellow co-founders Nathalie Gordon, Mahak Malik, and Girish Narayandass. The team explained that Taxi Fabric brightens up Mumbai's normally drab taxis while also promoting the city's undervalued creative talent.

One taxi art, titled 'The good, the bad and the beautiful', was inspired by Filmy Chakkar, a 1990s comedy that was aired on India's Zee TV. Others even consist of abstract aspirations, thousand tools and mere cutting-chai glass. Avlani’s team asserted that they have thought regarding upgrading the vehicle and making it comfortable, but there was little thinking for the taxi seats and their designs. 

“The designs that cover the taxi seats are often dull and forgettable, but with the design talent Mumbai has to offer, this shouldn't be the case. The designers are local, the styles are inspired from all around the world, but the topic is still Mumbai,” says the enthusiastic design team. The team has more plans for Taxi Fabric in designing buses and subway trains. Gradually the team also plans to visit other cities and design vehicles there.