AkankshaBatra’s TheGreen Collectiveworks withwomenwho forage forpine needles anduse them to craft coils that are turned intodécorproducts. “You can’t compare this beautiful process to amachine-made piece.”
Pop quiz: What word shows up on a cheese menu, at a chic boutique, in a home-décor business, on handmade soaps and candle brands, in studio pottery and on Insta Reels? It dominated last weekend's flea market. We'd give you 10 points for guessing "artisanal", but alas, we only have eight. As with everything artisanal, supply is limited.
Most modern small businesses define artisanal in the usual way. It's a trade or craft practised using traditional skills, to make high-quality products in small batches. This supports traditional techniques and preserves fast-vanishing skills. It also offers customers an alternative to impersonal mass-manufactured items.
In big cities, where modern artisanal brands have mushroomed over the past decade, the term often just means over-fragranced, over-packaged and overpriced. "It's overused and often improperly understood," says Ishita Sudha Yashvi, who co-founded Tinkaa Tinkaa Clothing that made modern casual Indianwear in handcrafted cotton. "Very few consumers understand the value of artisanal labels." It's only one of the challenges artisanal brands face after their initial burst of earnest success. See how they scale up against the odds.
Distance learning
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 20, 2024 من Brunch.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 20, 2024 من Brunch.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Hitting the wrong note
Even hitmakers can have epic fails. Here are 10 bands that named themselves in haste, only to repent at leisure
A walk to remember
As India celebrates 25 years of Fashion Week, here's your front-row seat to the first edition, in 2000. The models, the designs, the gossip, the backstage drama, and those after-parties!
Before the tea gets cold
Sudhir Patwardhan's paintings show a Mumbai that viewers may find familiar. But look closer. The details tell new tales, trigger universal questions
Who's the third world now?
There was a time when Egypt or Lagos were considered lawless lands. Now one has to be on guard in London and Paris
Spice routes and detours
More and more countries are discovering that packaged Indian spices are contaminated. Back home, they're so convenient and trusted, we didn't think to look closer. It's time to rework this recipe
Murder, she rewrote
What's better than a woman detective? A team of two. New shows and films are making the most of the partnership, giving crime drama and comedy an edge
What broth this on?
Hopeless ramentic? Slurp up this guide and order the best bowl, every time
Unconventional habits
There's so much more to nuns and convent education than what shows up on screen. Why do the cliches persist?
Photos or pulp fictions?
Gauri Gill's portraits showcase ordinary folks, doing ordinary things, but wearing extraordinary masks. See why the quirky series offers more than what meets the eye
Hear it from a reliable sauce
Kikkoman launched a dark soya sauce for the Indian market after realising that Indians expect Chinese and pan-Asian dishes to have a rich, dark colour. It mimics the taste profile of the flagship Kikkoman soya but has a different colour.