From palm leaf bags to Pichwai paintings that adorn temples and organic apparel, you can shop for 3,000 handmade, eco-friendly items online and do a good turn for the artisans
From palm leaf bags to Pichwai paintings that adorn temples and organic apparel, you can shop for 3,000 handmade, eco-friendly items online and do a good turn for the artisans
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Handicrafts never go out of style. They simply need to be re-packaged and marketed to a younger generation.
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Crane T-shirt (Rs 690)
It was this belief that prompted Manoj (33) and Monica Gupta (32) to chuck their venture capital funding and accounting jobs, respectively, and move from the USA to India four years ago.
Two years back, they zeroed in on setting up an online handicraft portal and launched Craftsvilla.com in January this year.
What preceded was a phase of solid research as the duo toured villages, met artisans and shortlisted the handicrafts they wanted to feature at the online store.
"We wanted to revive and give a boost to the traditional handicraft industry. Our aim is to become India's largest handicraft shop and to then branch out globally.
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We have a 30 member team and work with 100 artisans at the moment," said Manoj.
Indian scape
Craftsvilla's product range includes apparel such as organic T-shirts, dupattas, skirts and kurtis, home decor artefacts such as quilts, bedcovers, curtains and coasters, footwear, accessories such as anklets, bracelets and necklaces, traditional games, grass, palm leaf and bamboo products, eco-candles and toys. Their products are sourced from Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttaranchal, Orissa and Karnataka.
"Each product is ethnic and colourful and blends the modern with the traditional. Our products are made using natural dyes and are eco-friendly," he added. We liked their Mojris and traditional games as well as the Pichwai cloth paintings (used to adorn Lord Krishna's shrine). Their organic apparel section and the stationery items were also interesting.
The good art
Apart from the online shop, Craftsvilla is also spearheading other initiatives. It includes Craftsvilla TV, an online channel, which will feature 3-minute videos documenting the process of crafting the products. "We intend to educate people about how handicrafts are manufactured and the labour involved," he stated.
Without Time notebook (Rs 899)
The profits they make will be re-routed to the welfare of the artisans through the Craftsvilla Artisan Fund. So far, it has helped educate the children of artisans from Kutch. The site will also launch Craftsvilla Places, an online shop within their portal for upcoming artisans to showcase their creations and gain a customer base.
While they change their product display every week, you will soon be able to shop for crochet products and sarees online as well.
Log on to www.craftsvilla.com
Call 9892676399
Cost Rs 100 onwards
Shipping is free.
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