SHP Feature's: The 2012 Roundup

Last summer I came across a quirky clock, very similar to the one below, at a friend's home in Seattle. Upon enquiring, my friend mentioned that she bought it in Pune and didn't remember the artist's name.

A few months later, I received a notification that a 'Nobodyelse' had liked SHP's Facebook page. My interest was piqued and I clicked on the notification which led me to a Facebook page with the same clock! I dropped a note letting the owners of the page know that I had come across their clock in Seattle and adored their simple yet attractive design style. And that's how I 'e-met' Mangesh Todkar and his lovely wife Leena. 

Mangesh and Leena are inspired by their everyday lives in India. Here are a few of their inspired designs. 

Nobodyelse also makes earrings, nameplates, murals, wall hooks and have recently branched out to lamps and tea light holders. Please go here, to see more of their quirky products.

Loud and Spirited... that's Shor Sharaba for you!, so runs their tag line. Trsha Jhaver and Rasshi Ganeriwal, the founders definitely live up to their motto. Throw the mundane 'Best', 'Regards' or 'Cheers' out of the window. Bah! Here are a few ways in which Rasshi signed off all her emails to me, 

Make some Shor oye,

Bling, BLASH, Bright, SPLASH.. Jhataaaaak mataaaaak, Razz MATAZ!!

Being loud,

Her emails definitely made me smile. Quite a few firms can take a note out of Shor Sharaba's book on  inculcating brand spirit so thoroughly. Here's how the girls describe themselves and the brand,

Welcome to Shor Sharaba! We do things that we love! 

We make things for the young and urbane who love to live life to the fullest. Shor Sharaba is where Uma Thurman meets Meena Kumari and Gabbar catches up with The Godfather! Super Heros in new avtaar, Filmigiri’s newest sansaar!! Moo Moo, Bow Bow, Oink Oink, its loud and laajawaab! We are Bright, HAPPY, Quirky and bindaas!!  We are two crazy sisters; Trsha, the Shor and Rasshi, the Sharab(i)a.

The lotus diya/ mug holder is a definite fave

On a serious BIJNIS note, we do Super cool cushions, laptop bags, Laptop Sleeves, Coasters, iPad bags, Fun trays, photo frames, Wooden boxes, Sling Bags, Mouse Pads, Fridge Magnets, Clocks, beer/ coffee mugs, just to name a few.

O.K. So go check out the super cool stuff from the crazy fun sisters here. 

My apologies to Mangesh/ Leena, Trsha/ Rasshi; both their features were due in January/ February.

Aporv stands for Unique in Sanskrit and the online shopping site does do justice to it's name by carrying a unique portfolio of products by partnering with several artisans in India. You can learn more about the organization by listening to its founder Sudip Dutta's TEDx talk. 

A few of their artisan-made products,

Every products has an elaborate description of the traditional process by which they were made. You can visit them on their website, Facebook page or Pinterest page to check out more of their products.

Here's wishing the Aporv team a belated Happy B'day! 

                          

3mik.com

I received an email recently from Saurabh Srivastava and Rajeev Jha the founders of a rather interesting site. If I understood it correctly, 3mik.com is an Indian take on Pinterest, where one can post images and follow/ meet folks with similar interests. 

3mik.com sounds terribly exciting and I'm glad to see innovation in the online space in India. Here's a snapshot of their website. 

Do go explore the site.

Saffron Hue is the vision of two Stay-at-home moms, whose dream is to bring a fresh new perspective to the traditional textiles and techniques of India by using them for baby bedding and accessories. 

Saffron Hue makes hand block printed children textile products using traditional methods from the Sanganer region in Rajasthan, India. Summer 2012 was the launch of their first collection, here's a peek.

I loved the fact that the products come in lovely pastel shades and the prints have awfully cute names like Mango Mantra, Royal Parade and Monsoon. 

The collection comprises of quilts, lightweight blankets, swaddles, burp/ bibs and snuggle bags made with Azo free dyes on 100% cotton. Please visit their website here, to see the creative output of the wonderful moms.

Team Shopick describe themselves as a marketplace to discover 'unique' Indian handcrafted/handmade/handpainted products with beautiful designs from designers and creators all over India. They connect designers and artisans to customers all over the world looking for amazing products. Here's a look at some of their amazing products,

Please visit the Shopick website here for viewing more of their product range. 

Indianmyra is a site that features beautiful jewelery and apparel from India. Their collections are inspired by the various corners of India, from artisans to high end designers. Anwesha, an NGO based in Orissa and  several AIACA members have been showcased on their site. 

Indianmyra also has delicately crafted pieces from the Mughal era. Here's a glimpse into the Mughal era,

For a closer look at their lovely products, please visit their website here. 

A note of apology to Divya and Rohit, Indianmyra's PR team for the delay, as this post was due in May. Thank you for your patience!

To India, with Love....

fabulloso! is an online store that was launched earlier this year. The store is the brainchild of Gaurav Taneja, ex-Partner and Business Head - Technology, Communications and Entertainment with Ernst & Young, and Anupma Taneja, a graphic designer and entrepreneur with a successful handmade paper business - Kaagaz Exports - to her credit.

fabulloso! offers a curated selection of beautiful things for wardrobes and homes - exquisitely designed and meticulously crafted designer wear, wardrobe essentials, shoes, accessories, home furnishings and accents.

fabulloso! seems like a fun, refreshing brand; please head here to check out more of their fabulous stuff!

Thank you Shobana & Pallavi, fabulloso's PR team, for all the enthusiastic and fun emails.

Craftsvilla is an idea conceived by Manoj and Monica Gupta in 2011, as an online marketplace selling unique Indian handmade and handcrafted items. In India crafting is the second biggest profession in rural villages after agriculture. Each region is identified by its ethnic craft and it is a rich tradition that has survived the ages.

I absolutely loved these antique Tanjore paintings from Vrindavan Home Shoppe owned by Kannan Kuttappan. These definitely beat the shiny, gaudy new Tanjore paintings that seem to have flooded the Indian market in recent years.

However, many of these crafts are under serious risk of extinction because crafters are leaving their professions in search of jobs of better pay. The problem occurs because these crafters sell their items to middlemen at very low rates who in turn sell it at inflated rates in the market. If this scenario continues, a time may come when our next generation may become bereft of these arts.

All the products featured here are from Vrindavan Home Shoppe. Craftsvilla also has several other lovely stores. Please go here to explore!

Craftsvilla is aiming to change this by bringing these crafters directly online and helping them sell their creations directly to a global audience. Good luck Team Craftsvilla, I really hope you guys bring about the change you are aiming for. Please head here, to check out and support the platform. 

A shout out to the guys from Team YellowTrunk. They are soon launching an exclusive curated online portal with unique products from India. Sign up here for exclusive deals for when they launch. 

Here's wishing all you guys a great deal of luck in your design ventures and a successful 2012!  

A note of thanks

I've been AWOL from SHP for a while now, to be precise- 3 months, due to various other nagging priorities. I'm grateful for those of you who have continue to write in and follow the blog during my absence. I've been unable to completely give up on blogging, despite a really hectic lifestyle, thanks to you guys. 

So, here's a very grateful- Thank You!

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While I'm doling out my thank you's and counting my blessings, here's another one that is long over due. It goes out to Preethi Prabhu from Indya Kaleidoscope. Last November, while writing up the feature on Indya Kaledoscope, I had fallen in love with the cute little wine stoppers that I had featured that made me quite nostalgic. I placed an order for them, but faced difficulties in trying to place the order online. The issue was definitely at my end with my rarely used Indian credit cards than an issue with Indya Kaleidoscope's site. Despite that, Preethi being the wonderful person that she is, asked for my address in India, and mentioned that she'd get it delivered and I could just pay cash on delivery instead.

Sometime mid-April, I received an email from Preethi mentioning that she had been snowed under with setting up her new store and had forgotten to ship the wine stoppers. And that she had shipped it across now and despite my several requests, refused to accept payment for it.

Now this is what I would call excellent customer service and professionalism. 

a) Preethi changed her mode of payment as soon as I ran into some trouble buying on the site.

b) Delivered the product for free! because of delayed shipment. Please note that I hadn't followed up either, and the blame here equally rests with me. 

Preethi, thank you so much! I'm sure you (Indya Kaleidoscope) will soon go places.

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Have you guys checked out her cute little store at 12th A Main, Koramangala 4th Block, Bangalore as yet?

Some Spring Colour

Popping in for a bit today, to wish you all more colour in your lives. How have you been?

The trees are finally in bloom here in New York. Bursts of white and pink add a dash of colour, as we zig-zag and jaywalk in a hurry. Also, the Indian Festival of Colours- Holi is still being celebrated by the Indian diaspora here spread out over several weekends.

Here's a dash of colour from my Pinterest board to celebrate sunshine + happiness...

Credit for the images in this post mostly goes to my fellow bloggers, please visit my Pinterest board here for the original sources.

The images might be a little cliched, be kind and put that down to a bout of nostalgia.

Until mid- May I will unfortunately be unable to blog regularly. However, I will still lurk and follow every post of all my favourite blogs- Addicted perhaps?

SHP Feature's: December Roundup

Look's like I'm always playing catch up! Here's some really cool sites to shop online, that were added to the Shop Indian page on SHP a while ago.

 Aniika

Aniika is an online bazaar that serves as a platform for emerging Indian design talent to build their brands. Though moored in Indian tradition, the site features designers with a contemporary and global feel. 

 L to R: Bollywood Masti Playing Cards by Chumbak, Purple Kada Bag by Darshana Baindur, Ganesha Key Head by Chumbak, Mid-day at Raniket- Acrylic Painting- by Chandrama Nath, Hadwoven antique Zari clutch from Kye, Brushed Silver with Pearl Earrings from Silverphish

Aniika was co-founded in October 2011 by  Shamim T and Meghana Rao, and has it's presence in the U.S. and India. Please go here to check out more of their lovely curated products, and links to the designers that create them.

 Natural Mantra

Natural Mantra is India's 1st online store carrying only organic lifestyle products. It was founded by Nishant Nayak, who after returning from several years in the US found it difficult to continue his organic and green lifestyle in India.

L to R: 24 Letter Mantra Organic Flax Seeds, Organic Kid's Coldcare, Madurai Jasmine and Mogra Bath Salt, Rustic Art Power Laundry

Natural Mantra launched with providing natural baby-care products, the site has now expanded to covering all aspects of eco-living and home care. Please go take a peek at their unique products here.

Pret-Amoda

Pret-Amoda was founded by Ritika Walia after she moved back to India in 2009 due to the economic meltdown in London. Pret-Amoda was finally realized in 2010 after several rounds of talks with leading designers.

L to R: Jas Sandhu's Pop Art Stole, Lotus Pink's Ivory Cotton Silk Dress, Lotus Sutra's Turquoise Jhumkas, Rachana Reddy's Padma Teak wood clutch, Malaga's Silver Pouch with Kalgi Brooch, Agastya's Agate earrings

The site features wares by several leading designers and makes Indian designers more accessible. Take a peek at the gorgeous stuff available on Pret- Amoda.

Indiologie

Indiologie was founded, in October 2011, by Preeti Reddy, an MBA from Carnegie Mellon who moved back to India recently after a few years of working as a management consultant at Bain & Company in the US. 

It all began in December 2010, when Preeti was working on an indie movie project, and realized  the struggle of independent filmmakers to get noticed is not much different from that of other independent creative people – that they were all getting buried under the barrage of marketing from local and international brands. As consumers, we were settling for the least common denominator – things that would appeal to the largest majority - variety, taste and creative flourishes be damned. 

So Preeti Reddy and her colleagues took their movie platform and extended it to be an indie platform, with the intent to bring together indie-minded people and collectively give a boost to the indie.

A look at the results of the wonderful initiative.

Please go here to see more of their products.

Nuteez

Nuteez is a cool new leisure-wear band selling women and men's tees, pants and shorts. It is nice to see that somebody is finally targeting this niche, which is most often been ignored. Please go here, to shop some new tees... ahem I meant Nuteez- Sorry that was a pun, I really couldn't resist! 

{Credit for all images goes to the respective sites and the designers who retail with the brands}