Raaha extends initiative for craftspeople 'The Artisan Shop' following strong response

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jun 24, 2021

Consulting firm dedicated to the crafts sector Raaha launched ‘The Artisan Shop’ to give craftspeople a platform from which to sell their products and, following a strong response, has extended the initiative. 

The Artisan Shop will continue to run and take onboard new artisans, Raaha announced on its Facebook page. After launching the e-commerce platform in response to the pandemic’s devastating effect on daily-wage craftspeople to enable them to continue to earn money, The Artisan Shop has sold over 110 products in six countries, according to the business. 
 
“We identified 18 artisans, and uploaded 500-plus handloom products that they have in stock,” Raaha co-founder Radhika Gupta told Vogue India about the project’s inception.

“All prices are decided by the artisans and 100% cost goes back to them. This helps in multiple ways- it reduces inventory, reduces reliability on donations, provides access to consumers abroad, keeps home looms and workshops running, and is transparent.”
 
The Artisan Shop now has over 500 products on its online store and will run for several more months, according to Gupta. The project continues to receive daily requests from artisans to have their products included and customers are continuing to visit the site, Raaha announced on Facebook.

The Artisan Shop features a range of handmade items including sarees and dupattas made by locally based craftspeople across India.