A Story of Indian Rejuvenation
Our designs, our technology platform and our brand have been created to support this vision. To promote Indian Folk art sustainably and ethically, proudly #MadeinIndia. Launch product line: Bags, Wallets, Clutches, handcrafted to target the luxury artisanal market worldwide. Workshops to promote Indian artists and our folk stories Our vision: Bring back glory to these lost art forms. A world where customers are patrons, and our artists are storytellers.
EACH MERAKI BAG Is one of a kind, limited edition, luxury bag Handpainted by a folk artist in India Unique stories about the art motif, art form and the artist Can be customized (Motifs, color palette) First of its kind product that has never been attempted before
ARTISTS AS PARTNERS Folk artists are the heroes of Meraki. We provide them design training, fair payments and revenue share of sales to keep them invested in the brand.
STORYTELLING - THE ART ( Bhon Painted by Anil Wangad, a Warli artist working with Meraki) When pralay (catastrophe) arrives, everything will be submerged and all the plants will be washed away. Then we will have to go to the ants as they have stored the seeds of all the plants in their bhon/ant dwelling. The ants will help us farm and resume our lives. Our lives cannot be painted without the lives of animals, trees and insects. What a beautiful story to depict the interconnectedness of life and the importance of every living creature, even the tiniest ones amongst us.
STORYTELLING - THE ARTIST Every artist from the Gond community has developed a unique style and patterning for their art. For me, it is the Bindu or dot (symbolising the supreme god) and the half moon around it (symbolising our village and community). I see so much similarity between my work and that of Dali and Picasso! Venkat Raman Singh Shyam was 10 when he picked up pieces of charcoal and adorned every inch of the walls of his home and scraps of newspaper with sketches of all that he saw in his village. Born into a Gond Pardhan family in Sejohra village of Madhya Pradesh, Venkat has entrenched himself in the world of Art for the last 4 decades. Training under his uncle, famed Gond artist late Jangarh Singh Shyam, Venkat learnt to develop his own unique style while visually narrating ancient tales of his community and modern day scenes of the world around him. VENKAT SHYAM, GOND ARTIST The essence of Venkat s art is rooted in the crossroad where ancient oral histories meet with independent vision. Change is the ultimate rule of nature and the universe. While the theme of my paintings are rooted in my traditions and mythology, my narrative constantly adapts to reach out to varied audiences says Venkat.
RESEARCH & DESIGN Contemporary styles- evening wood clutches handpainted by our artists.
ART RESEARCH Researching India s folk art forms FOLK ART MAP OF INDIA"
ART RESEARCH Researching India s folk music forms FOLK MUSIC MAP OF INDIA
ART RESEARCH Researching India s folk music forms FOLK INSTRUMENTS MAP OF INDIA
COLLABORATIONS With mythological stories apps like MYTHA With Dance, to infuse elements of performing and visual arts together
TRADITIONAL ART WORKSHOPS To teach children and adults about Indian Folk Arts To try to brin a curriculum of Indian Folk arts and teach Mindful art
WE HAVE UPCYCLED EVERYTHING FROM PRADA, GUCCI, LV, COACH, LONGCHAMP & many more
USING AUGMENTED REALITY, THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!
SOCIAL IMPACT Crowdfunding campaign for USD 15,000 was successfully completed in June and July/2017 to raise funds to build a school in Madhubani village in Bihar to teach this art form to girls so they can be economically independent. Meraki has donated 100% of our profits from the bags sold in this campaign to our NGO partner for this campaign
HUNDREDS OF HAPPY PATRONS ACROSS THE WORLD
FOLK ART WHERE IT HAS NEVER BEEN BEFORE
MEDIA COVERAGE High interest in Media to help promote and preserve Indian folk arts and Made in India campaigns and products SCMP, Forbes, Indian Express, Green Queen, Cause Artist, HK Hub, Expat Parent and others
LEARNINGS THUS FAR Customers are now buying products and services for what those products and services say about them Storytelling and letting the customers be the storytellers is the best marketing Engaging content doesn t have to be directly about your product or service Embedding and leveraging technology everywhere has helped us with scalability
CONNECTION TO TRAVEL? Art focused curated tours Artist homestays to learn art Leverage art content for travel High end souvenirs
THANK YOU! Please reach out to yosha.gupta@memeraki.com to share any feedback. Website: www.memeraki.com Instagram: @me_meraki