Want to buy the best of India’s handmade crafts and textiles? These online platforms are making it easier for you
Toy artisan Panuganti Lalitha Kumari
eBharathi
The online platform aims at empowering rural entrepreneurs, especially artisan communities in Andhra Pradesh by facilitating direct access to online markets. One such community belongs to the Kondapalli village in AP’s Krishna district, which has a 400-year-old tradition of making wooden toys. Around three years ago, Tata Trusts, in association with the Andhra Pradesh government’s Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), devised the eBharathi platform. One can buy everything from specialty foods, handicrafts, textiles, toys and jewellery to herbal products on eBharathi. “Our objective was to create a scalable and sustainable model that enables SHGs to list their products online and maximise sales,” says Yogeeshwar Reddy, a programme officer with
the Trusts.
TO BUY: ebharathi.org
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iTokri
iTokri.com has been working closely for a long time with artisans from villages and small towns, celebrating their creative spirit. The platform is a one-stop destination for a wide range of textile products, as well as silver jewellery, home décor and stationery. We are particularly a fan of their running fabrics, which comprise a range of handloom material, including Pochampally ikat, ajrakh, kala cotton, jamdani and bagh prints. If you are a saree hoarder, there is everything from Mangalgiri, Sambalpuri ikat to a hand-woven cotton saree collection from Dastkar Andhra.
TO BUY: itokri.co
Kopai – Paar
As a filmmaker, Neha Rungta has travelled to villages, and experienced the work of karigars first-hand. And while they had the skill, where she felt they fell short, was relevance. “There was a gap between the rural landscape where these handmade works were being created and the urban household that could patronise them. These crafts needed our conscious participation to survive,” says Rungta. So in 2016 she launched the startup Kopái – Paar. The store offers a wide range of craft products—we liked their upcycled floor rugs, madur kathi collection of table runners, and handcrafted cushions. And if you have old sarees, you can reach out to the team, and they’ll help create a saree blanket with kantha work.
TO BUY: kopaipaar.com
Craft Maestros
The handicrafts brand offers a range of heritage art- and craftworks and textiles sourced directly from master craftsmen/women. It is backed by the diverse experience of Akansha Dixit, who has worked in the apparel industry for 15 years, and entrepreneur Ajay Arjit Singh. Craft Maestros offers an eclectic range of products, and each one mentions the name of the master artisan. From hand-painted trays by Z Beigh to Mecaka hand-carved earrings and blue pottery artwork, this site is a rare treat for craft collectors.
TO BUY: craftmaestros.com
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