It was while working in the tribal belt of Rajasthan, as part of the Gandhi Fellowship, that Delhi-based Apoorva Kamat came across the cobblers who would go on to be her collaborators. “I was working with a local school, helping their faculty build leadership skills. It involved talking to villagers and they’d tell me about the traditional art of shoemaking. I then enrolled in the Young India Fellowship with Ashoka University in Haryana, to find partners for my initiative to revive artisanal crafts across the country,” reveals Kamat.
Teaming up wi th Sruthi Kande, an ex-Google employee, Kamat formed Karmaara, with an aim to provide sustainable livelihoods for artisans. The venture started off in April with The Cobbler Project, working with New Delhi’s street cobblers.
The duo has rounded up 10 cobblers, whom they collaborate with. Creating the designs themselves and sourcing the materials from Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, they give the cobblers much-needed design intervention to make their products contemporary.
Karmaara’s line up of products include mojris and kolhapuris that have been skillfully constructed with traditional Indian weaves like Ikat, Kalamkari and Kutch embroidery. The summer line, launched in April, combines these textile weaves with leather. “The aim is to incorporate as much folk art and artisanal skills as possible,” shares Kamat. From strappy open sandals to closed shoes and even men’s kolhapuris, every element on the footwear is handmade. While they’re currently shifting base to Jhor, a village in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan, to work more closely with the locals, the duo plans on launching an e-store within three months. Their products are currently available on their Facebook page.
Details: facebook.com/pages/Karmaara
