The new wave of ‘vocal for local’ 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!
Therapeutic Art From Atelier By Krittika Raheja
Krittika Raheja is a self-taught artist and marketeer who believes colour brings happiness to the soul. Be it art, clothes or makeup. She founded Atelier by Krittika Raheja which aims to be a brand that looks to brighten up your everyday life by adding a pop of colour and cheerfulness through art! She does this by conducting Art Therapy workshops and also creating Functional Art. This kind of art is created on objects that we use every day, such as phone grips, pop sockets, keychains, coasters, clocks, trays, cheese boards, platters, wall decor and more.
While mainly focusing on Functional Art, during the pandemic, Krittika realised the need for Art Therapy amongst people. Art Therapy is a means through which participants can actively combat stress and anxiety to feel relaxed, calm and in focus of their surroundings. She has been conducting workshops with corporates as well as individually for several months and has conducted over 50 sessions in the past few months.
She uses concepts and techniques from traditional therapy and guides the audience to create a beautiful painting. While this mainly helps the participants with relieving stress and anxiety during the session, it also spreads happiness and gives the participants a sense of achievement upon completing their piece of art.
Atelier aims to connect with everyone that loves art in all its forms. With the products ranging from a starting price at Rs 150, the brand looks to be affordable without compromising on the quality and aesthetic. One can find cute and quirky gifts and also some extremely unique one of a kind art here, solely depending on the needs of the client. Everything is custom made with lots and lots of love, care and passion.
The best way to connect with Atelier is through the brand’s Instagram handle, and with the new year, stay tuned for some new and exciting launches which are coming soon.
Zero-Waste Fashion by IRO IRO
Founded by Bhaavya Goenka, IRO IRO is a zero-waste lifestyle and fashion design collective based in Jaipur. With the aim to push innovation in upcycling, every year they create a collection to tell a unique story. Bhaavya is a graduate in craft-design with specialisation in textiles from the Indian Institute Of Crafts And Design, India. She was also a part of the Crafting Luxury and Lifestyle Businesses course from the Indian Institute Of Management – Ahmedabad (IIM-A).
Her brand IRO IRO functions as a zero-waste lifestyle and fashion brand. They create elevated clothing and textiles from waste, (and in the process of upcycling, utilise crafts and knowledge indigenous to India), that are highly functional and designed to last. They also collaborate with other businesses to upcycle their waste into functional art pieces (fashion and interior). The brand has collaborated with Calico, Japan; Matter prints, Singapore; Doodlage, India; Cotton Rack, India; The House of MG, India, among others.
So far, they have upcycled about 5 tonnes of waste off-cuts into handcrafted fabrics saving 100 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere over the past 2.5 years and generated work for 20 artisans based in a village near Jaipur and sold about 80% of it.
They design multifunctional products to provide to the customer the power of having multiple styles in their one purchase. The product prices range from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000. You can directly order with the brand and reach out on Instagram. The brand is also available at Artisan’ Centre, Mumbai, The Verandah, Banglore, amongst other places.
Clay Earthenware From Terracotta By Sachii
Terracotta By Sachii is a contemporary take on the traditional art of pottery. The brand makes natural, humble, sustainable and biodegradable clay products.
Founded by Sachii Tripathii, the brand’s vision is to bring back clay earthenware into our everyday lives. Terracotta – the most basic of all materials – literally means baked earth. Ever since the discovery of the wheel, human beings have been shaping lumps of dirt on the wheel, hardening the products in fire and using them for cooking and storing food. Clay pottery has thus been in practice since the Mesolithic age!
India has a rich history of crafts, and different regions across the nation have their own distinct and very unique styles of terracotta crafts – like the Molela Craft of Rajasthan, Black stone Pottery from Manipur, Painted Pottery from Kutch and many more! Sachhii, a ceramics and glass designer by profession, and a terracotta potter by passion has worked as an independent studio potter for the past 14 years along with a corporate job.
With eco-friendly, natural and sustainable products in organic materials like terracotta that aren’t easily available in the market, the brand is offering functional and decorative products showcasing beautiful heritage crafts. This included cookware, serve ware, home and wall décor, and even architectural accessories like tiles.
The average price range is between Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. The brand products are available on Instagram, Facebook along with Okhai and the World Art Community.
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 partnerships@anvilmedia.in.
