Love is an all-encompassing emotion. When it is felt for an art, it goes beyond the action itself, and includes love for the materials used, for the sources that make them available, and for all the fellow artists you share your knowledge with. When Arti Gehlaut entered the field of handicraft, the first craftsperson she worked with found a place in her memory. Her name became Arti’s brand, and her craft became their occupation; this is the story of Kirgiti, a brand that vouches for handicraft and ethical treatment of its practitioners.
What’s in a Name?
“Her name was Kirgiti and the inspiration to work in the craft sector in me came from her only. She was a blind artisan from Bharmour, but despite the physical disability, I found her so positive and full of life! Work would always give her immense joy and hence this brand has her essence in it. We are currently working with 4 different groups, 60 artisans, in 4 different crafts from all around the country,” shares Arti, the founder of the brand. Her vision was to encourage equal development in the handicraft sector along with sustainable practices. She describes the venture as a ‘handcrafted vegan leather bags and apparel brand.’ “India has a rich culture of craft forms and the need of the hour is to make environment friendly products made by local artisans and make it widely available,” she says.
Arti mentions that the initiation of this work was not a smooth ride. Major challenges were faced in the financial and marketing front, as it was a self-funded brand. Since its conception in 2017, it has undergone tremendous growth, after starting ‘small and slow.’ “We sell our products globally at present, most of it B to C, through third party platforms in the US and Europe. Marketing is still one area that needs more investment and we are working on balancing that segment,” she remarks. This fashion design graduate recounts her initial days as an entrepreneur, when she showcased only 10 designs at a Dastkar Exhibition 2018, as she had limited resources and experience.
Arti describes the product line at Kirgiti, consisting of vegan leather bags which combine hand block printed canvas and Ikat weave; and cotton knitted blouses, sarees, and t-shirts using different prints. There have been impressive additions to the product line in the form of belts, file folders, pen holders and many different accessories. In 2022, 4 new craft forms found a place in the list; Sanganeri print, Tye-Dye, Bhandhej and Crochet. In the same year, she travelled across the country to exhibit these products, including Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Visakhapatnam, and also to Sri Lanka. Coming a long way since 2018, these tours were done in collaboration with Dastkar Delhi along with other communities.
Accessible Sustainability
“We work in clusters from remote villages of India like Pipar (near Jodhpur), Sikar (near Jaipur) for creating surface work. Our plant leather is made from cork sourced from Portugal. Final assembling is done in Delhi/NCR,” she talks about the sustainable sources and practices at Kirgiti, which also provides a safe work environment for their artisans. Continuing, she says, “the leather we use is cruelty free. We use organic colours for printing, ensure fair wages for the artisans and make sure that left over fabric from the production process is used to make small accessories to become zero waste.” Around festivals, gift hampers can be curated from the brand to step closer to the sustainable lifestyle and sending the same message to the ones you care about. Arti expresses the desire to continue this responsible work in her conclusion- to make craft accessible to all segments of the society, to ensure that craft and sustainability is a life choice for people and not just a luxury for upper class society are the plans for the near future.
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