HYDERABAD: Block-printed curtains that lets in sunlight in a mellow glow, and quilts that have the golden cheer of marigolds on them — city-based designer Kriti Jindal’s creations take inspiration from nature. Through her project, ‘Kari by Kriti’, she is adding a bohemian touch to home furnishings, and they have been endorsed by none other than actor Soha Ali Khan! The artiste is now set to launch her website on March 7. Hailing from Dehradun that is surrounded by lush greenery, Kriti developed a passion towards textiles due to her mother’s love for sarees.
A scholar in apparel management from Pearl Fashion Academy at Delhi, she has worked as a merchandiser for over seven years with a French retailer and later on, with an American buying house. In 2012, she moved to Australia along with her husband and continued to work as a sourcing manager. The mother to a five-year-old son had it all when she met with an accident which resulted in an ankle injury. After a couple of surgeries, she could not move her leg for almost six months. As a result, she had to quit her job. After remaining cooped up in home for a long time, she realised she could not survive without working. Hence, she started a blog named ‘Handmade Talks’ and shared stories about her love for textiles and interviewed entrepreneurs.
This led to her journey towards Kari by Kriti.In 2013, this Gachibowli resident returned to India and settled in Hyderabad. She decided to turn her idea into reality by creating two hand block-printed baby quilts in pure cotton with the help of a printer in Jaipur. She then listed those two quilts on Etsy, a website that sells handcrafted products. The two quilts sold within a few days of listing them she started to receive e-mails about creating similar designs for adults as well.
This gave her a lot of confidence and she developed her first-ever collection with 12 baby quilts. From then on, there was no looking back. Since then, she has made over 500 sales on Etsy and created custom collections for a number of home decor stores and boutiques all over the world. Kriti’s business has evolved into a home furnishings brand that caters to modern, bohemian homes by designing products like quilts, cushion covers, bags, pouches, baby bedding products, table linen and also robes for women. “God gave me a husband who always stands beside me, facing the storms in our life together. He challenged me into thinking bigger about the future of my brand. I once asked him to invest money into my work and like a true angel investor, he asked me for a business plan. That challenged me to streamline my work, keep a check on my expenses and plan my growth in a meticulous way,” shares Kriti.