How this Karnataka based startup is bringing back the old-age Indian heritage craft and is also uplifting the artisan communities.
The recent years have seen a revision in people’s clothing sense, be it ethnic wears, workout, or working clothing. many people are moving toward handmade designed clothes.
Rashmi Annepanavar a specialist in creating handcrafted made designed clothes, Is the founder of the sustainable fashion brand “RAEH’
Rashmi Annepanavar did her graduation in Business administration, and also pursued her passion side by side, and went to the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai, to study fashion.
She wanted to convert her passion for creating handmade designed clothes into her profession. She always thought that fast fashion, mass production, mechanized processes, etc. are just ruining the old tradition of handmade fashion and is also impairing the artisan communities leaving them unemployed. “RAEH” is the outcome of her sheer desire to bring a positive change in peoples’ lifestyle and their perspectives toward fashion and also to uplift the artisan community and their crafts.
“RAEH” extensively supports Indian age-old crafts and paves a way for them to reach your lives through one-of-a-kind fashion and lifestyle products that are modern yet connected to historical roots. The artisans, weavers’ clusters, and small production houses from their team.
Rashmi Annepanavar and her passionate team are currently working with two handloom clusters, two hand embroidery clusters, dyeing units, and a few other small businesses for their production and operations.
“RAEH will not only be a brand for sustainable fashion and lifestyle products but will also be a platform to propagate conscious life and thoughts, and support other smaller brands or organizations working for similar causes”.
It was not that easy though, as every startup has some challenges and, The fact that “RAEH’ was based at a semi-urban place gave her myriad challenges in terms of having a talented team, logistics support, lack of matured market for their products etc. but as said, "if there is will there is a way". She took the help of digital media for setting up an amazingly strong team and also reaching out to the market digitally apart from offline tie-ups. She always believed in herself and never lost hope. Her only advice for the readers is that “ The environment out there is highly robust and to be in the picture, you have to be connected to the world around you, stay updated, socialize as much as possible, keep the learning process forever, be ethical and give your damn best. Don’t forget to connect with your spiritual self to understand your inner self and stay grounded amidst the hustle and bustle of life. Never forget that ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going ”.
Rashmi Annepanavar’s mission is “To strive to UPLIFT the lives with consciously and sustainably designed fashion and lifestyle products by using the diverse and amazingly beautiful embroideries and weaves of India and by empowering the artisan clusters, NGOs and other small businesses”
