At 21, Pragya Jain landed her first art exhibition. The journey of art covering many places such as New York, Boston, Dhaka, St Petersburg, and of course India, was fulfilling, but Pragya wanted to do more. A chance phone call with her sister, Anugya Ajmera, a practicing lawyer then, got them thinking on a line of products that would have art at its core. They then roped in their mother, Ila Jain, to help look after the operations.
The three began putting their aesthetic sensibilities together and brought out a few décor accents in 2013 under the brand name, Artychoke—a unique fashion and lifestyle label creating products inspired by and infused with original art. And together, the trio’s collaborative skills have made the brand classy and sassy at the same time.
What started with cushion covers based on Pragya’s art has travelled to home accessories going into furniture, fashion accessories and now apparel as well. Today, the label has a complete line of bespoke furniture, décor, gifting and art products, and is run from three cities—Delhi (headquarters, store and production unit), Jaipur and Bengaluru.
“Our aim was to create something which has a modern style, but at the same time has a hint of classical appeal. Our love and keen interest in old art techniques gives birth to our collections of accent furniture, home decor, gifting boxes and paintings that are bound to take you back in time,” says Ila.
Indeed, the nucleus of Artychoke’s design aesthetics lies in original art. The products first originate on Pragya’s canvas, after which the digital prints of these oil and acrylic paintings are transferred on to the products to give them their individuality. The pieces are then manufactured in their production unit in Delhi.
Pichchwai, clearly, is their calling card. “This is one of the most popular and alluring ancient Indian art forms. We seldom follow design trends and attempt to create them ourselves. This year, our Antique Collection is an ode to the old and antique art forms. We applied Pichchwai to tapestry, upholstery, furniture, hand-painted chests, trays and even cutlery holders. It’s the uniqueness of application of design in unexpected forms that is most appealing,” says Pragya.
Anugya, who has taken the company digital and is constantly working towards growing it each day, explains, “Sustainability will be one big feature in all upcoming trends in 2021. Humans have learnt a huge lesson with the unexpected and unwanted arrival of the pandemic. ‘Clean design’ will be at the forefront.”
The eco-conscious brand, she explains, has been working on those lines all along—it’s all about ethically sustainable home décor with originality, imagination and strength at its core. “A cruelty-free establishment, even as we source from the planet, we believe in giving back too. The raw materials are used to their fullest capacity, not just for smart production, but for being truthful to where it’s all really coming from,” she adds.
In fact, Artichoke recently launched a campaign called, The Earth is Our Only Home, which focussed on what the pandemic has taught everyone—not take anything for granted, especially our planet. The campaign was to raise awareness on the urgent need for reducing one’s carbon footprint by sourcing locally and by caring for the environment.
In keeping with that mantra, the brand is currently working on a new collection with a lot of hand-drawn designs and hand-painted watercolours that give a raw organic feel. “The idea is to keep it simple yet fascinating. After all, nothing describes us better than the word, Art. It is an integral part of us, our brand,” says the trio.