BENGALURU: In today’s fast-paced world, hand-crafted fashion stands as a beacon of authenticity and sustainability. While the fashion industry has become synonymous with rapid production and disposability, several artisans in the city have come together to form a platform called Busy Fingers, which
offers authentic products and promotes traditional handicrafts and art practices.
“We are a group of 6 people who came together quite organically and turned our passion into a business. Every one of us has a little story behind our brands and we wanted to give a platform for independent artists to not only exhibit their products but also network with like-minded people,” shares Shivani Kagti, a collaborator at Busy Fingers. The platform aims to offer an alternative to fast fashion.
“I think that we are becoming a culture that is consuming a lot of fast fashion and spending a lot of money on these brands. What we don’t realise is that all of these would be replicated and thousands of people would have the same thing. The whole idea of our collaboration is that everything is done ourselves and nothing is outsourced. The designs, patterns, and thought behind it, are all our own. Each of our products is a labour of love,” Shivani adds.
The platform’s founding members include Lesley Scen, designer of Mels Jewelry and Sew Much Love, Ramona Patel who has the label, Little Stitches, Namitha Charles a maker of sustainable one-of-a-kind handmade soft toys for children, Madhu Mehra who runs She Who Knits, Rang Manlang Studio run by Ravinder Kaur, and finally the Pickle Project handmade brand of pickles started by city-based home chefs Purobi and Shivani Kagti.
Sustainability is also a major part of the Busy Fingers campaign. Lesley Scen, the designer of
Mels Jewelry and Sew Much Love says, “I consider no piece of broken earring or pendant or even a piece of cloth as something that is a bin job. I use every piece of cloth to recreate new designs and patterns.”
Meanwhile, Patel makes hand-embroidered smocked clothing for children and uses her leftover fabric to make dolls or hair accessories for children as well. Busy Fingers is organising their first pop-up event at Raintree, Sankey Road on June 23 and 24 from 10.30am to 7pm to exhibit their intricate handmade products.