Craftmark and Harita Kapur Store present Nature Haat an exhibition that brings you a range of unique eco-friendly products inspired by nature.The four day exhibition showcases the best of eco-friendly handicrafts being made today, including bags, carved boxes, stoles, scarves, decorative & functional home wares & furnishings, and exquisite paper products. The products have been carefully selected from eight craft groups: ROPE, SASHA, Norbulingka Institute, Hao Crafts, The Kishkinda Trust, Adventure, Sukriti Imprint, and DWARAKA. These groups work to alleviate the conditions of poverty. They encourage income generation, fair working conditions, fair wages and regular employment. They make a real difference to improving the lives of their members.The benefits from the sale of products in Nature Haat are returned to the artisans and communities, supporting them to continue with their efforts, and strengthen their activities.

DATES 28th – 31st July, 2009 (10.30 am - 7.30 pm)

VENUE: HARITA KAPUR STORE Opp Sardar Patel Sewa, Near ' Aditya ' Building, Mithakali six roads, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad-380006

by sharmila wood

POSTED BY CRAFTMARK, HAND-MADE IN INDIA AT 8:33 AM

http://craftmark.blogspot.com/2009/07/nature-haat-craftmark-exhibition-in.html

@Craftmark, The Craftmark certifies authentic, handmade Indian products.

https://twitter.com/craftmark?lang=en

INSIDER’S GUIDE: SHOPPING IN AHMEDABAD

LIFESTYLE & HOME PRODUCTS

Once known as the city of mills, Ahmedabad has always had the makings of a grand shopping destination. It is an industrial centre for textiles, gem polishing and ceramics, and has a history of producing embroidered fabrics, stone carvings and block prints. In addition, top-notch design institutes, including the National Institute of Design (NID), National Institute of Fashion Technology - Gandhinagar (NIFT-gn) and CEPT University have given rise to a breed of independent designers, whose boutiques and workshops have contributed to an eclectic shopping experience. The city has yielded a bumper crop of art galleries, designer stores, small boutiques and product-design studios. CNT picks the cream of this.

ARTISANS COTTAGE

Run by NIFT graduate Harita Kapur, this chic store is set in a converted bungalow and sells works by local craftsmen, NGOs and young designers. You'll find many treasures here, from a tapestry sofa to a vintage radio. Stop by their cosy café for a quick bite on your way out. (079 2640 1647) From Rs200

BY ANIL MULCHANDANI, 19 November 2013

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HOUSE PROUD

With new-age decor ideas flooding the market, it's time to start trawling the bazaars to refurbish your home for the festive season in Gujarat.

A touch of quirk. Love your pets? Bring home a cat-shaped cushion or a parrot print pillow. A fan of flowers? Add a dash of chrysanthemums and carnations through kantha embroidered cushion covers. Furnishings are getting funky and bright with vibrant drapes, bling bedcovers and offbeat pillow prints that offset the subdued walls in creams and whites. "Animal prints, traditional crafts and bling in home decor reflects your bold personality and willingness to experiment," says Harita Kapur, a designer and founder of Artisan's Cottage that has an exquisite collection of home wear.

PICTURE PERFECT

When it comes to doing up the home, use a colour story for each room, told through curtains, cushions and throws. At Artisan's Cottage, our recommendation for furnishings, pick up embellished bed covers and cushions from Shades of India for a festive day makeover. If you want to keep it subdued, yet traditional, pull on the beautiful kantha and kalamkari soft furnishings by Anek Designs.

QUIRK QUOTIENT

Bedcovers and cushions needn't always be bling and bright to look festive. It's fun to go casual with something offbeat. Look for the animal print pillow covers in silk by Indian August. They are elegant and quirky at the same time.

Aditi Pai-September 19, 2014 ISSUE DATE: September 29, 2014 UPDATED: September 19, 2014, India Today-Simply Gujarati

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IBAN TEXTILE PUA KUMBU RECIEVES RAVE REVIEWS IN INDIA

The fine warp-weaving of traditional Iban textile Pua Kumbu received rave reviews in India during a series of exhibitions held in New Delhi and Ahmedabad recently.

The contemporary silk Pua Kumbu from Sarawak aroused a lot of interest amongst visitors at the exhibition held at the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

“Although India has a heritage of ikat weaving, and Patan in Gujarat is the home of the famous double-ikat weaving, people were astonished to see such fine warp-ikat weaving in the pua kumbu,” said Sarawak Atelier Society president Edric Ong, who represented Sarawak at the exhibition. Ong is also a famous artist.

Besides the ceremonial pua kumbu, other exhibited Iban textile included antique pieces of jackets, skirts and contemporary silk hangings.

The exhibition in Gujarat organised by Textile Art and Fashion Forum (TAFF) included a talk on Iban textiles which was well attended by faculty lecturers, students and the public.

Ong said this was the second time he exhibited Iban Textiles in India.

He had previously exhibited the Iban Textiles collection in New Delhi with the Delhi Crafts Council and at the Andhra Pradesh State Art Gallery in Hyderabad.

Other than Ahmedabad, the collection was exhibited at the prestigious Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA) as part of the Festival of Sacred Art with renowned Indian scholar and cultural authority Jasleen Dhamija as the curator.

The festival included evening musical performances of sacred music and a series talks where Ong gave a talk on “The sun and moon motif in Iban Textiles.”

This ongoing exhibition will continue at the Harita Kapur Studio, Ahmedabad, and in Baroda next month.

By NG AI FERN

Wednesday, 24 Mar 2010, 12:00 AM MYT

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2010/03/24/iban-textile-pua-kumbu-receives-rave-reviews-in-india

MALAYSIAN TEXTILES ON DISPLAY AT NID IN AHMEDABAD

The two-day exhibition showcased many designs of textiles known as 'Pua Kumbu' which is the traditional textile of the Iban people of Malaysia.

Imparting glimpses of the textiles tradition of the Iban people of Malaysia to the people of the city, an exhibition called 'woven dreams' began in the premises of the National Institute of Design (NID) on Friday.

While the exhibition is being organised by the Textile Art & Fashion Forum (TAFF) of Ahmedabad, it was inaugurated by the director of NID Pradyumna Vyas.

The two-day exhibition showcased many designs of textiles known as 'Pua Kumbu' which is the traditional textile of the Iban people of Malaysia.

Edric Ong who brought the exhibition to NID said, "The exhibition here displays some of the contemporary and historical textiles of Iban Pua Kumbu weaving. We wanted to display the Iban textiles to the people of Ahmedabad."

The day also held a lecture on 'Pua Kumbu' by Ong who is also an architect, author and curator. Talking about the background of the traditional craft, Ong said, "Many traditional Pua Kumbu had their designs derived form dreams given by the weaving goddesses known as Kumang or Meni and thus earned themselves the term 'woven dreams'. Since 1988, the weavers have mastered the weaving using silk yarn with natural dyes using the traditional back-strap floor loom."

Reported By:dna Correspondent| Edited By: dna Correspondent |Source: DNA |Updated: Mar 13, 2010, 11:06 AM IST

https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-malaysian-textiles-on-display-at-nid-in-ahmedabad-1358609

HOMES WITH HEART

Contemporary yet traditional, the best of Gujarati homes

Anil Mulchandani, May 11, 2011,ISSUE DATE: May 23, 2011, India Today

Eclectic ideas: Rajil, 40 and Harita Kapur, 35

Before you can enter “Kartikey”, the house of Harita and Rajil Kapur, you will hear the barking of their vigilant Great Danes.Creative den: The driveway goes past a garden to the simple and elegant house done up by Harita Kapur, a NIFT-qualified designer who runs the Artisans Cottage store selling quality artefacts and clothing.Craft house: Once you enter the house, the front room mirrors the couple's love for handicrafts. The drawing room where the couple entertains guests is delightfully done in Indian style with low-seating and a wealth of handicrafts from wrought iron to embroidery. The drawing room leads to the elegant dining room, which is similarly filled with handiwork from across India. Steps lead up to the bedrooms and eventually to the terrace.Sweet souvenirs: Harita Kapur says, "We travel all the time and pick up a variety of handicrafts. I have kept the house simple with all of them showing up in their respective niches."

https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/supplement/story/20110523-homes-with-heart-746031-2011-05-11

CHANIA’S GO FURTHER DOWN, CHOLI’S GO CHIC

AHMEDABAD/VADODARA: The early deadline may have dampened spirits, but there's nothing stopping young garba enthusiasts from splurging on hip chaniyas and trendy cholis. Spaghettis, sequinned gunjis, brocade halters, low-waist skirts are the ���in-things' this Navratri. It is the brand new wardrobe for garba revellers who would like to break free from the traditional chaniyas and backless cholis replete with embroidery! Ethno-chic is the buzz as girls are spending anywhere between Rs 1500-15,000 on festive wear. "Girls are outdoing each other in building a special Navratri wardrobe where backless choli has been replaced with brocade halters with open backs to match the crushed skirts which are the flavour of the season internationally,"says designer Harita Kapur, who has launched a special Navratri collection.

RADHA SHARMA & PRASHANT RUPERA / TNN / Sep 24, 2005 .

Read more at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1241611.cmsutm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

DESIGN FLEA EXHIBITION AT ARTISANS COTTAGE BY HARITA KAPUR AND NINE LIVES!

An amazing exhibition on 6th & 10th Dec : Design Flea exhibition at Artisan’s Cottage by Harita Kapur and Nine Lives, Nr. Mithakali.

We bet! If you miss this exhibition, you’ll miss the unique art work!

Behold Ahmedabad, for it’s time to treat yourself to a fashion and design fiesta like none other.

Ensemble of more than 45 of the best designers from the industry, all under one roof, showcasing designs and products from Clothes, Footwear, Fashion accessories, Home Décor and Artefacts and lot more. Demo of Ply split braiding by Erroll Pires & Pottery workshop by Happy Potter.

Very few designers are able to play around with colors, fabrics and designs and even fewer are able to create a masterpiece. At Artisan’s cottage, the Design Flea will introduce you to such master creators. You will be treated to designs and products that are spectacular.

Fashion: Choose from wide range of Clothes, Accessories and Bags. Style up with an ethnic designer wear, choose from hand woven accessories and carry a tradition bag. Can’t leave the footwear part. Choose from the best designer ethnic footwear and give yourself a perfect look.

Home Décor: Decorate every corner and walls with the vibrant coloured products

Done with your flea shopping, don’t miss to take a sip from Zen café’s awesome ice tea. Yes, it’s in the same premises.

Address: 366/1, Opp. Sardar Patel Seva Samaj, Mithakali Six Roads, Mithakhali, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Ahmedabad, India 380006

Exhibition Date and Time: 6th & 10th Dec. 11am to 8pm

Tags: Design Flea, Accessories store in Ahmedabad, Clothing store in Ahmedabad, Footwear store in Ahmedabad, Exhibition in Ahmedabad

https://www.cityshor.com/ahmedabad/design-flea-exhibition-at-artisan-s-cottage-by-harita-kapur-and-nine-lives-/

DESIGN FLEA- ARTISANS COTTAGE & NINE LIVES

Artisan's Cottage & Nine Lives presents Design Flea

Visited the Artisan's Cottage today, was pleased to see the splash of colors & a variety of objects on display. If the city did have a flea market, this is what it would look like. Truly unique & a must visit for all the Amdavadis ...

Design Flea is a joint initiative by Artisan’s Cottage and Nine Lives to showcase the work of young and talented designers from across the country. As a part of the two day event from the 21st to the 22nd of Sep there are 32 designers participating from across the country and they are showcasing everything from art to artefacts, textiles, home, accessories, lifestyle products, fashion etc.

Artisan’s Cottage was founded by Harita Kapur in September 2011. Harita is a NIFT graduate and has her own design label which was founded in 2004. It was her dream to create a very special store that reflects Indian design heritage and to cater to a niche market for contemporary lifestyle products that led to the opening of Artisan’s Cottage.The store’s objective is to support craft based work from various designers, organisations and artisans from across the country with one mission, to help the craft community.Nine Lives is an initiative by Rachita Parekh, a graduate from the University of California, Berkeley. Having the experience of running her own lifestyle store in Delhi, when she moved to Ahmedabad she started her own venture with the aim of spreading design by promoting designers from the field of fashion, lifestyle and art and providing them a platform to showcase their work. She has organised many successful exhibitions in the past, the last one being ‘ Synergy of Opposites’ in association with Gramshree where they achieved tremendous success and raised remarkable funds for the NGO .

Posted 22nd September 2012 by Arpit Biloria, Studio Verve

http://studioverve.blogspot.com/2012/09/design-flea-artisans-cottage-nine-lives.html

THE MANY HUES OF THINKING GREEN

Ahmedabad has long been the hot spot for young designers thanks to the presence of premier institutes such as National Institute of Design (NID), CEPT University for architecture, urban planning and interior design and National Institute of Fashion Technology-Gandhinagar.

Adding variety to the fame, the designer GenX here is now thinking out of the box and increasingly coming onto its own. “Earlier designers in Ahmedabad mainly took assignments or outsourced work. However, these days young designers in their 20s and 30s are making trendy, exclusive, fun or traditional products with their own labels–homeware, tableware, office accessories, clothing, footwear, ornaments,’’ says NIFT alumni Harita Kapur of Artisan’s Cottage, a store that stocks handmade products made by emerging designers, artisans and NGOs.

“A growing market for exclusive and bespoke products has boosted entrepreneurial confidence,” says Kapur.

Anil Mulchandani

Published: 06th October 2013 12:00 AM | Last Updated: 05th October 2013 02:31 PM

https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2013/oct/06/The-many-hues-of-thinking-Green-523410.html

ORGANIC FARMING IS THE WAY OF LIFE FOR THIS FAMILY

AHMEDABAD: Organic farming is not an alternate profession or a hobby but it is an alternate way of life for the Patel family. The family owns one of the few certified organic farms around the city. With over a 100 varieties of palms, 40 varieties of bouganvilla, 25 different varieties of Champa and several Agave and Cacti, besides the regular grain produce, the Sardar Patel Farm is paradise for plant lovers. Jagruti Patel, who manages the farm along with her husband, cardiologist Dr Dinesh Patel, met a group plant lovers from the city and shared her experience on Thursday. Patel talked about organic farming and its benefits to a small gathering at Harita Kapur's studio, off CG Road. "It is possible to have a world that is free of chemicals. At our farm, we started with growing organic products initially, but then we realised that is not all. As a farmer, one needs to be a part of not only producing but also final marketing of the product. Thus we started involving ourselves in the marketing of the produce also. Over the years we have reached to 90 products," said Patel.

She added, "Organic farming is a way of life and it has transformed us as people. Be it a hug to the tree that was not bearing fruits or music therapy to plants, we take lessons from the nature itself. Everything on the farm, be it earthworms, bugs, bees have a particular feature and we use this to help the final produce."

Also present at the talk was Meera Mehta, an NID alumnus and textile designer, who came with her recent work with Paithani saris.

DECEMBER 18, 2009

Read more at:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5349302.cmsutm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

SHADES OF INDIA COMES TO AHMEDABAD

Shades of India is a design-led, creative company with a strong international reputation in leisure clothes, home furnishings and accessories. It has won prizes for its products in Paris and New York.

As part of its expansion, it is opening a shop-in-shop in Artisan Cottage in Ahmedabad. Under Harita Kapur, Artisan’s Cottage has established itself as a leading fashion and home store in the city. Shades of India’s focus will be on clothes and decorative items for the home such as cushions and quilts.

Its new clothes collection (branded under the Shades and White label) builds on the success of its earlier ranges. The inspiration has been the interchange between embroidery and print. “ I have long worked with traditional embroidery and stitching techniques”, says Mandeep Nagi, Director of Design. “ But I have long had a project in mind to give a more contemporary look to embroidery by interpreting it in print”. The Collection reflects this.

The silhouettes are loose and flowing. The fabric is a hand woven chambray that printed in white on black brings out the effect of the embroidery.

The cushions and bedcovers come from the latest Shades of India collection. Each collection has a different theme running through it. The starting point for this one was the walls of Venice. Age has given them a distressed , faded texture. But they still retain the rich colours of that city – the burnt oranges, yellows, wine reds and naturals that are part of its identity.

Print and texturing have been used to translate this quality into textiles. The Ravenna bedcovers and cushions convey a faded elegance now much in trend. Venice was also a city of luxury, ornate jewellery and mosaics. Reflecting this, the collection uses silk, velvets and surface ornamentation to capture the richness of the Venetian tradition.

Founded almost 20 years ago, Shades of India has an international reputation for its creative use of layering and texturing of products. It has set trends in design and won awards at trade fairs in Paris and New York.

It sells to major department stores throughout the world including ABC in New York: Harrods and Selfridges in London: and Le Bon Marche in Paris.

In India, it has shop-in-shops with Good Earth in Delhi and Mumbai. It will be opening its own store at the Meharchand Market in Delhi in October.

It has a separate division providing textile solutions for interiors and for hospitality. It will be working on this in Ahmedabad in collaboration with Artisans Cottage, founded by Harita Kapur.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

http://coresectorcommunique.blogspot.com/2012/08/shades-of-india-comes-toahmedabad.html

Minimising Waste in the Name of Fashion-Feature Story

The increase of fashion-conscious individuals is skyrocketing. Are you willing to change the shopping habits instilled in you for the sake of our environmental protection and sustainably? Charlotte Mason reports on the fast-fashion crisis and how individuals in their ways are minimising waste to combat fast fashion.

We have all been there, the function is looming, you left it to the last minute, and you have nothing to wear. Well, why not pop to the shops, Cotton on has a $15 sale rack, score!

Fast fashion has ushered a throw-away culture into our society through single-use, poor quality garments. Many individuals are now educating themselves on the harm this throw-away culture has on the environment, and those behind the scenes of manufacturing. Oliver Jones and Hollie Glover-Clark are two individuals who partake in their own ways to try and combat fast fashion for the prevention of a potential future crisis, and Harita Kapur speaks about the importance of adopting sustainable habits through her expertise in sustainable design.

Whitecliffe lecturer Harita Kapur holds a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Design from Massey University, and has over 25 years of experience in the design and craft industry. Kapur has created strong ideologies and principles and believes designers “need to shoulder the responsibility” that they have towards our “people, planet and ecosystems”. Kapur believes that sustainability begins with the designers themselves, and stands wholeheartedly alongside adopting a “holistic approach” to interconnect “craft traditions and craft communities”.

By adopting such practises Kapur believes these relationships open up “sustainable opportunities for the people involved along with sustainable solutions for design,” therefore connecting back to our roots through adopting a slower mode of producing and consuming which can contribute to our “overall well-being and cater to our emotional and social responses”. Understanding the importance of these sustainable modes of production helps to develop a different sensitivity to what is designed and consumed, which inevitably works toward a more sustainable societal mindset.

The fast fashion industry is the second most pollution causing industry in the world due to mass production and rapid consumption, which has become a topic of debate and has sparked Scholars such as Kapur to educate themselves and teach others on the imminent harm the industry has.

By Charlotte Mason, OCTOBER 22, 2019

https://charlottedotmason.wordpress.com/2019/10/22/minimising-waste-in-the-name-of-fashion/

The Artisan’s cottage boutique in Mithakali, is a riot of colors, textures, materials and visuals. A delight for all art connoisseurs, craftsmen, designers and shoppers alike, this place is splendidly vibrant in terms of its stocks and display.

The brainchild of Harita Kapur, a designer from NIFT, Delhi; Artisan’s cottage is growing popular and becoming synonymous with the ‘craft and design hub’ of the city.

Harita is passionate about the inherent skills and craft found in every niche and corner of the country. She is on a mission to promote this craft, but with a design touch to it. She also wishes to educate the city people and make them aware of the skill that goes behind the making of a product.

After working in various cities like Delhi, Ahmedabad and Bangalore, in 2004 Harita finally started her own studio and boutique displaying her label. Along with this, she used to have regular exhibitions that promoted various products that were designed with the sensibilities and skills of craft. But this was not enough. She wanted to provide a permanent platform to these designer crafts, and hence Artisan’s cottage came about.

She curates the works of various craftspeople, organizations, NGOs and designers and displays the finest ones at her boutique. In September 2011 the store started with products from 15 organizations and today it has grown to over 80 organizations and labels, including national names like Shades of India, R&A design studio, Tara publications etc.

Artisan’s cottage has hosted a series of successful events in the past, ranging from design flea to plant exhibitions etc. Now they are planning an exhibition and event on 5th June, about upscaled products that are organic and environment friendly.

The place has a very inspiring setting; complete with the café outside for a creative and vibrant feel to the place. Do visit soon for shopping, browsing, a cup of coffee or a chat with the designer.

Creatives in the times of Corona

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.