How fashion label Nakshi helping rural artisans craft sustainable livelihood

Nakshi is a fashion label that offers a range of exquisitely designed authentic hand-loom and handcrafted products created by the unparalleled craftsmanship of artisans from rural India. It builds a pathway of dignity and prosperity for the grassroots producers- weavers and craftspeople, by providing rewarding market access and contemporary creative inputs while ensuring delightful customer experience. The whole objective is to be a respected and dedicated social enterprise catering to customer's diverse needs of ethnic, sustainable and responsible lifestyle products leading to empowerment of rural artisans at scale.

Speaking to Bizz Buzz exclusively, Nilima Ghosh, Founder-Advisor, Nakshi Creations Pvt Ltd, narrates how they are coming out of the lockdown shocks and planning the next round of expansion

How did the Nakshi Creations journey start?

When my husband (Chandra Sekhar Ghosh, Founder and Managing Director, Bandhan Bank) was running Bandhan Micro Finance, at the bottom of his heart was providing sustainable livelihood to the most vulnerable section of the society. And that was the top priority of the organisation as well. We then thought helping artisans, craftsmen, weavers in far flung areas to create beautiful stuff would just not be enough. We must offer them go to market strategy and we must provide market linkages and link them or take them to the market. We rightly thought providing livelihood would just not be enough, it would have to be sustainable. With this in view, we set out on this journey. It was started to provide necessary support and training to the artisans to develop a sustainable and inclusive business model that develops and promotes indigenous crafts skills and creativities.

So, what do you do?

Nakshi relentlessly works with artisan clusters across India and offers a range of exquisitely designed authentic handloom and handicraft products created by unparalleled craftsmanship of artisans from all across India. Each and every product that customers buy from Nakshi supports the livelihood of artisans across the country and thus helps revive and promote this rich tradition and national heritage. Nakshi had its retail presence at five stores in Kolkata and one in Noida- UP. But unfortunately, we had to close down all the outlets except one, during the pandemic and prolonged lockdown. We also have a digital presence at leading marketplaces.

Pandemic or lockdown was a major setback for you?

Yes, it was. Fortunately, things are looking up now. Our key challenge at this point is to clear and sell off all the huge inventories/unsold stocks that we have from our five outlets. Once that is done and we consolidate our position, we will possibly again be on an expansion mode.

Would your next round of expansion include other cities outside Bengal and eventually overseas markets as well?

We have already started reaching out to outside markets within the country. Initially our focus would be to reach out to overseas markets where there is a sizeable Bengali diaspora. For instance, we have participated at the NABC (North American Bengali Conference) in the US. We will go to the UK and possibly we would soon be exploring the UAE market as well. See, the demand for ethnic stuff is growing not only within India, but also across many parts of the world. So, whenever and wherever we get any opportunity to reach out to the target market, we will explore and utilise that.

What all do you offer from Nakshi Creations' stable?

On offer at Nakshi Creation are various ranges.

• The Women's range includes: Kurti, Saree, Jacket, Bottom, Blouse

• The Men's range includes: Kurta, Dhoti, Sherwani, Nehru Jacket, Shirt

• The accessory range includes: Mask, Dupatta & Stole, Bags, Jewellery

• The crafts of India includes: Dokra, Wood Crafts

• In the paintings category, we have: Madhubani hand paintings, Kalamkari, Dokra-Tribal and many more

• Then we also have a large range of home furnishing products.

Each and every product that customers buy from Nakshi supports its vision and endeavour towards supporting the livelihood of artisans across the country and thus help revive and promote this rich tradition and national heritage. Every piece of jewellery tells a story. Here, a Saree is not just an outfit. It is a power, an identity, a language.

In what way, Nakshi is different from other boutiques or similar outlets?

We use sustainably sourced natural material, making every piece manufactured eco-friendly and not causing harm to the environment. We are committed to high quality and ensure attention to detail at every step. We value craftsmanship, pay our artisans on time, ensure that they work in safe conditions and work towards protecting and preserving their skills.

It is often perceived or alleged that although such beautiful ethnic, hands crafted or woven stuff are stolen at high prices from high-end stores or online market place, actual producers or craftsmen are often deprived of the fair prices…..

We believe in the policy and principle of fair price mechanism. We always ensure that our actual producers are not deprived of their fair prices and at the same time, no extra burden is passed on to the customers.

Are you only relying on counter or retail sales to come out of the lockdown setbacks or looking at new avenues and new ways?

Nakshi has all along been offering a range of authentic handloom and handcrafted products created by matchless craftsmanship and elegant designs from its outlets. And now we are increasingly focusing on servicing bulk orders, corporate orders or institutional orders of all products that are available on our outlets and website as well all types of handloom apparels and handcrafted items. We can also customize depending on the quantity and type of the product.

Besides, we have taken another initiative. We are bringing in bright, young entrepreneurs working in this field, giving them space within our outlet, showcasing their creative talents and products. For instance, we have already got homemade chocolate makers- Devil&You and creative T-Shirt makers- CalcuttaMantra on board. There will be many such, going forward.