Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon Indians to be ‘vocal for local’ and the entire nation applauded this step that proved to be a boost for Indian entrepreneurs. It has promoted local businesses during COVID-19 and given customers the ability and motivation to shop locally with ease. This rebranded version of ‘Made In India’ has our support, and every month, TC46 will spotlight small businesses and ventures you can champion and back easily through online and offline purchases.
Artists, entrepreneurs, visionaries and experts, Indian women are shattering glass ceilings and breaking out of boxes. Success, tied with skills and hard work, is what makes those featured in our list today an inspiration for many. And the journey, for these women of incredible talent, are stories that must be told.
This week, here are some brands we’re cheering on; check them out!
Studio Naach
Studio Naach works on the concept of reusing waste and adding value. The brand’s vision is to explore multiple ways to utilise the textile waste that exists in the world to reduce their carbon footprint and make newer products with increased value.
As a recent Srishti graduate in Textiles, founder Meenal Kaushik discovered her passion early in life. The intensity of the environmental damage that is caused because of the textile industry, the discharge of harmful chemicals, and the overfilling ln landfills made her dream of a more sustainable model. Studio Naach was started as a side project to earn a couple of extra bucks while Meenal was in the 2nd year of her design degree in Srishti Bangalore, which she converted into a full-time business after graduation. The first collection of Studio Naach came from a project she did in her final year of college. It made her see the bigger picture, find her niche, and to go sustainable all the way.
Studio Naach now looks at working with crafts communities that are on the verge of extinction and intervenes at their product development stage to make contemporary products keeping the originality of the craft alive. At present, the brand has launched two collections with The Lambani Tribe of Karnataka, and are due to launch the third collection with the same community.
Studio Naach makes their packaging sustainable by making potlis out of waste fabric that can’t be embroidered on. They aim to make statement products and instil the love of crafts in their audience the way it existed before fast-fashion. Having grown up repurposing old clothes and cushions, the fire to reduce the amount of fabric that lands up in landfills every day is still alive for Meenal.
With a target audience of men and women from the ages of 20 to 45, it’s mostly people who have an immense love for craft and craft communities that love her brand. They understand the work and effort that goes behind making any product.
The average price points for the products are between Rs1,200 and Rs 2,800. The products are priced depending on how intricate the work is and how different the design is. Experimenting with shapes and forms to bring out unique products are vital for the brand as that makes a large part of the pricing criteria.
All of the products are currently available on Instagram and on Etsy. The brand is also selling products on And Noor, an e-commerce website.
Moira
Moira has a Greek origin, meaning fate or destiny. Inspired by India’s vibrant heritage, Moira was launched in April 2019. It was essentially designed to enhance the rich Indian culture with the modern ways of society. It is a fusion of ethnic and contemporary styles. The creator of this brand, Suhani Jain, decided to take a leap of faith and create something of her own.
Something that has always been close to her heart since childhood. Designing. As a child, having a vivid imagination combined with creativity came in handy for Suhani, as she turned out to be very talented in putting together different abstract designs with a splash of colours. She decided to build a brand that would unleash the barriers of everyone out there to uniqueness, colours and happiness that comes along with it.
Moira basically targeted anyone and everyone who likes to have a bag on their arm every time they step out of the house, hence explaining the range starting from informal clutch bags to intricate embroidered bags. They picked artists that are proficient in creating handcrafted products using different kinds of thread and stone works popular in India. They’ve worked with zardozi, dabka, gota and more combined with the modern prints. The goal is to keep customers satisfied and keep bringing in new designs, and hopefully new products to keep them hooked.
Moira can be sought out on Instagram and Facebook, and at various exhibitions.
Antra Arts
AntraArts is a home-based fashion and lifestyle brand by Antra Thackeray. Their products include tote bags, stoles, notebooks, cushion covers, umbrellas, handkerchiefs and more. Every product is either hand-embroidered or hand-painted and so, each piece is unique in itself. Each product is designed and crafted by the entrepreneur personally. It is a one-woman show.
Born in Pune & based in Bombay, she has done a Diploma in Textile Design from SL Raheja, Worli in 1985, and is also a homemaker. She started AntraArts in 2016 with an intent to take out time for creativity from a busy daily routine. The brand was started for the love of textile, art, and everything hand-crafted.
The products are limited edition/exclusives as she likes to keep creating newer designs and products to satisfy that creative tickle. She offers a range of affordable and value for money products, often limited edition (notebooks, tote bags, etc) and exclusives (stoles, tote bags, umbrellas, etc) ranging between Rs 300 and Rs 7,000. Some custom items go for a lot more.
The target audience is mostly women but as a brand, AntraArts never restricts itself to cater to anyone specifically. Most of the products are gender neutral.
Currently, AntraArts is only sold through Instagram and Facebook pages or offline.
Luxury Suds ‘N’ Such
Luxury Suds ‘N’ Such products are inspired by nature and perfected by modern chemistry. The products are handmade in small batches. Suitable for kids and adults, the products range from bathing soaps to shampoo bars, and skincare products like serum, toners and more. The brand has a bathing soap made for kids and skincare products that cater to an older demographic
All the products are handmade in Champhai, Mizoram, 188km away from the capital of Mizoram. These products are available at a price that will not hurt your wallet and don’t include ingredients that sound good, but do little-to-nothing to benefit your skin.
Founder K Lalrammawii says that the story began last year when her brother had an accident and she spent most of her time in the hospital sitting outside the ICU, constantly on her phone. One day on Instagram she saw a beautiful soap, but it was too expensive. But the soap stayed with her, she was obsessed with it and would look at videos of really talented soap makers all day. So she decided to try making some herself; she was hooked!
After the 3rd batch of soaps, she realised it was quite an expensive hobby since the ingredients used were not cheap. She decided to sell the soaps to be able to continue pursuing her passion. People loved them and they came back for more. Over the next few months, she mastered the craft, overcame multiple rounds of trial and error, and went on to launch a business of scale on 16 June, 2019.
You can find the brand on their website and on Instagram.
KOD Clothing
Born out of the desire to bring together Indian textiles and functional apparel, KOD is all about comfort and simplicity. Silhouettes inspired by traditional Indian wear but with a twist, each stitch and weave speaks for itself as a variety of patterns, prints and textures come together to make the apparel.
The KOD journey began in December 2019 by Pratiksha Raka who is a NIFT Mumbai Graduate.
The product price ranges from Rs 900 to Rs 8,000. All the garments are made keeping in mind that the pattern is simple, easy to wear but the aesthetic and appearance is elegant. The brand stemmed from the observation of cultural details and an attempt to retain those in daily wear fashion.
KOD clothing is available on the brand’s website, and you can stay updated by following their Instagram and Facebook pages.
Floral Art By Nandini
Floral Art by Nandini is an online platform where Bangalore-based Nandini Kanoria conducts online workshops on home decor through floral arrangements. She runs these workshops to share her talent in floral designing to build a community of like-minded individuals who are interested in DIY home décor.
Nandini is a floral designer and an event stylist with over 20 years of experience in event décor. She is the founder at Floral Art by Nandini and Ethereal Celebration Management; a boutique wedding planning company.
Her love for flowers started back in her teenage years when she would collect flowers from her garden and decorate them around the house. Post her wedding and becoming a mother to two wonderful kids, this passion has evolved into a brain child of creativity.
Through Floral Art by Nandini, she conducts online workshops on floral DIY home décor, personalised workshops for smaller groups and interactive workshops for kids using floral décor. The workshops cater to a wide audience as they are curated for individuals who are looking to upskills themselves.
Her workshops cost Rs1,000 for an hour-long session where she showcases multiple floral arrangements based on a theme. She runs a Q&A session at the end of every workshop while also encouraging the participants to reach out to her if they have any questions while doing the arrangements.
You can visit Floral Art by Nandini on Instagram.
Want us to be VocalForLocal for your brand or know someone whose work you’d like to cheer on? Drop us an email to be featured on The Channel 46 at [email protected].