New Delhi/ Gurgaon (Haryana) [India], October 28 (ANI/PRNewswire): As the world continues to reel under the economic devastation of a global pandemic, craftspeople, artisans and artists across India have had a crippling year.
Their livelihoods depended on selling, exhibiting and creating hand-made art and artefacts - the pandemic-induced lockdown put a block to retail, tourism and economic demand. As a result, large tranches of one of India's most talented professionals are coping with a depleted present and stare at an even darker future.
Thus, it is imperative that India's diverse palette of artists and artisans are provided a platform to showcase their creation so that they can be enabled with an income. With this in mind, Teamwork Arts, producer of the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival, and Craft Maestros have joined hands to launch Earth Fables, an online e-commerce platform dedicated to India's exquisite craftsmanship.
The entire range of offerings are hand-tooled, specially curated and sourced organically, with extremely trustworthy provenance, and from environment-friendly, sustainable ingredients and materials.
Artisans put their hearts and souls when they create their art, and each piece that they imagine and give shape to is truly a work of art with a story to tell. Each hand-crafted object available on Earth Fables has been made with a great deal of toil and love which adds to their value and exclusivity.
"At Teamwork Arts, we have been closely involved over several years with preserving India's stunning range of handcrafted art, giving platforms to artisans in all our festivals, starting from our flagship and annual Jaipur Literature Festival to the various other art-focused events and festivals that we produce," said Sanjoy K Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts, while commenting on this new initiative.
"We believe that Earth Fables will be the perfect vehicle to consolidate all these crafts under a single brand. Through the e-commerce engine of Craft Maestros, we will ensure beautiful handcrafted products, created from the artisan's unique vision, will reach people across India and the globe. A milestone initiative in these post-COVID times to support thousands of bereft artisans, we hope that we can help this gifted and skilled set desperately in need of work to sustain themselves," he added.
"Craft Maestros is dedicated to the mission of bringing handicrafts and handlooms to the mainstream. We work with National Awardee master craftspeople from across the country, deploying unique models to work on the fundamental levels of the supply side to ensure great quality even at large volumes. We are also implementing innovative ways for integrated online and offline channels of demand management, using technology," said Akansha Dixit, CEO of Craft Maestros.
"Teamwork Arts has played a pivotal role in bringing Indian art, culture and craft to a global audience. We are excited to partner with them to bring Earth Fables to the world. Not only do we share common value systems and business ethics, but also a deep love and passion for Indian crafts," she added.
"Earth Fables is thus an endeavour to bring high-quality, curated handmade products to homes; and our movement towards a more sustainable and conscious way of living," she further added.
This platform will ensure that traditional craft skills are kept alive and thereby will also create a demand for being trained in them. The idea is that ancient traditions don't perish as the world adapts to a more digitally-driven economy. It is important too to remember that hand-tooled objects, crafted with careful attention to detail, take less energy than a mass production assembly line, which make them environmentally sustainable.
Earth Fables will be a one-stop shop for craft-lovers across India and globe, bringing authentic handmade products from the finest artisans of India. Showcasing products that span the length and breadth of the country, the platform pays homage to the diversity of Indian handicrafts. It speaks to a history of art, a shared cultural heritage that has been carried down across generations.
The carefully curated range includes Kutch weaves, Rajasthani blue pottery, Kashmiri papier-mache, rugs from Mirzapur, handwoven silk from Benares and much more. Over 20 craft genres across 30+ lifestyle product categories under home & living, fashion & textiles, decor & art, jewellery and accessories are currently available on the platform.
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