This E-Commerce Platform Is On A Mission To Showcase Artisans Work Globally, Uplift Lives Of Their Community

Image Credits: Niiyaa, Unsplash

This E-Commerce Platform Is On A Mission To Showcase Artisans' Work Globally, Uplift Lives Of Their Community

Niiyaa aims to bring textiles with optimum utility and quality to a large pool of audience globally and, in turn, make artisans a brand in themselves. It is dedicated to creating the Indian and international community of creators and consumers in the space of handcrafted luxury.

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According to official estimates, India is home to seven million artisans. However, data from unofficial sources indicate that the artisan strength is as high as 200 million. Over the years, many e-commerce platforms have provided a platform for these artisans to empower them and give them the confidence to earn their livelihood.

One such startup is Niiyaa, which has gone the extra mile to uplift the lives of the ARTisan Community in different pockets of the world.

Niiyaa is the brainchild of Aditi Tewari and Anurag Shrivastava. The founders began the hunt to bring stories in the form of woven fabric to the world a while ago and continue to work towards seamlessly blending age-old craftsmanship with modern sensibilities to cater to a global audience. Both of them have a vision of weaving a fabric of strong human connections through their work.

The e-commerce platform aims to bring textiles with optimum utility and quality to a large pool of audience globally and, in turn, make artisans a brand in themselves. Niiyaa is on a mission to showcase artisans' work globally and uplift their community's lives. It is dedicated to creating the Indian and international community of creators and consumers in the space of handcrafted luxury.

Niiyaa works with all kinds of arts- tie and dye, block printing, hand painting, embroidery, and weaving. One kind is indigenous artisan communities across the globe who work locally in their villages (mostly inaccessible locations).

"We generally respect the native-ness of the art and don't interfere a lot with the colours and the motifs. Every handmade piece has a story to tell, a story of their tradition, history, and the emotions they carry while producing the piece, and the list is endless. We exist to tell their stories and flaunt their work," Tewari, co-founder of Niiyaa, told The Logical Indian.

"Second kind of artisans are the ones working full time. They work with all kinds of art and are genius at fusing various arts. Team of in-house designers work hard with both kinds of artisans to make exciting and rare one-of-a-kind products," Shrivastava added.

Uplifting The ARTisan Community

The startup has ventured into the artisanal world and the consumers across the globe with over 15 signature handcrafts. The artisans get their fair share much before the product reaches the consumer. Niiyaa is taking the risk of carrying the inventory to ensure that the artisan partners are insulated from market fluctuations and monetise well ahead of time.

The e-commerce platform is working to create a name as the world's largest artisanal platform, in turn making these craftsmen a brand in themselves.

"We are on a mission to showcase their work globally and thus to uplift the lives of the ARTisan Community in different pockets of the world. To ensure that we can support this community, we continue travelling and absorbing ideas and inspiration," Aditi said.

The company brings diverse products, communities, makers, crafts success stories of authentic talent from inaccessible people and places to the world, like various areas of Rajasthan, varied artisans of Kutch, other parts of Gujarat, interior regions of West Bengal, many clusters of the north of India and so on.

It works with all kinds of handcraft techniques such as handloom weaving, hand printing, hand painting, finest of hand embroideries, and a variety of tie & dye processes.

"We work with over 15 crafts from India and fuse multiple arts into one single product. Internationally, we are working with makers from countries in Asia, Africa, South America and everything in between," Anurag shared.

Particular Art Form Used To Create Products

Niiyaa is a global platform bringing art from remote corners of the world, the mesmerising clothing from Marrakesh to Kalamkari panels from Shrikalahasti, handwoven Bhujodi panels embellished with Bandhani and Rabari embroidery. Ornamented with the finest art forms, sounds and sights of the intriguing desert come alive in each splendidly unique wrap made by loving hands. In addition, Jamdani, warm woollens and many products captivate the customers.

The makers believe that all the collections are a unique interpretation of the brand's essence. Further, Niiyaa is soon launching product categories like Stoles, Scarves, Handbags, Jewellery, Coats, Dresses, Jackets etc.

The startup plans to start sales in offline stores soon. Currently, Niiyaa has over 500 artisans across India to bring the handcrafts to their e-commerce platform to bring textiles with optimum utility and quality to a large pool of global audiences. They plan to expand this and reach over 1000 artisans from across the globe in the coming three months.

In the next few years, the founders want to make Niiyaa the largest platform for highly curated fine handcrafts belonging to the remotest places on earth and reaching any continent to a base of users who truly believe in humans connections.

"We strongly believe that we must build a sustainable world for our next generation, and moving towards slow fashion and handmade products is one such attempt. In today's world, high-quality handcrafted products with a modern language are still not as accessible to the world," the founders said.

Also Read: Taj Mahal Becomes India's Biggest Money Grosser, Earns Nearly Rs 132 Crores In Last 3 Years

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