Reviving the India Design Story

Reinventing and celebrating the glory of craft and its makers in India

- SEEMA SREEDHARAN

The ‘go vocal for local’ chant has seen a sudden resurgence. We say resurgence because we always were aware of the wealth of craft that we have inherited. But there were only a handful who actually made this their doctrine. For some reason, the pandemic has shifted our attention back to the wealth of Indian crafts and traditional artforms. Indian designers, brands and organisations have taken the onus to reimagine and retell the India design story. We are here to share their inspiring stories.

Collective Craft

Sibanand Bhol’s Collective Craft is a haven for artisans in Odisha. The co-working space, as Sibanand prefers to call it, engages them with contemporary projects and treats them with the dignity they deserve. “I always wanted to bring traditional artisans practicing different crafts together in a coworking studio where they could share and learn from artists, designers and architects,” says Sibanand. He spent several years in Odisha, travelling, working and living in many remote areas. “A small group of these artisans encouraged me to set up a coworking studio which could help them work and find buyers. And Collective Craft was born in a little abandoned cowshed in a little village in Odisha.”

I BELIEVE THE INCLUSION OF TRADITIONAL CRAFTS IN CONTEMPORARY DESIGN IS A LONG AND ARDUOUS JOURNEY.

— Sibanand Bhol, Founder and Design Head, Collective Crafts

Commitment to Kashmir