Provenance continues to be a committed partner by supporting individual artisans and socially responsible groups.
Whilst Provenance is not registered as Fair Trade our artisans set their own prices; we do not haggle. We believe in a fair days pay for a fair days work.
Irfan Khatri
More than seven generations ago the Khatri family travelled to India from what is now known as Pakistan bringing with them centuries old block printing techniques. Today, Irfan Khatri and his young family reside in Bhuj, Gujarat and along with other family members established his own block-printing studio. With his exceptional skills and creative focus he creates wonderful textiles using traditional Ajrak block printing techniques and natural dying processes.
Not only has Irfan been taught century’s old block printing techniques but he has also received training from globally renowned enterprise Kala Raksha Vindhyalaya. When asked what was the most valuable part of this training Irfan replied, “marketing & contacts”.
It is this forward-thinking attitude and design-awareness that attracted us to Irfan’s work and to include it in the Provenance collection.
How is Ajrak block printed fabric made?
Anwar Khatri
Master Craftsman Anwar Khatri learnt his trade for at least seven years under the watchful eye of his craftsman uncle and has been carving on his own since 1971. With such a high level of skill and knowledge in his field, Anwar has been able to develop new and interesting techniques combining today’s wood-working tools with traditional finer carving tools for his unique woodblock designs.
We are very proud to showcase his work via the Irfan Khatri studio.
Athulya
Athulya is part of the Srishti Wellfare Centre (Munnar, Kerala, India) supported by Tata Global Beverages. The centre provides education, work placement training and rehabilitation for children with disabilities of tea plantation staff. The centre consists of several businesses that provides paid work for those finishing their education and entering the workforce. The businesses include jam & pickle making, bakery (best chocolate chip cookies ever!), naturally dyed textiles (Aranya) and of course Athulya.
The Stitching Project
Originally developed as a "Creative Arts Tour" business The Stitching Project (TSP) is a "for profit" social enterprise providing work opportunities for weavers, dyers, block printers, embroiderers and many others within the local Pushkar community (Rajasthan, India).
Owners Fiona Wright and Kanhiya Lal (Praveen Nayak to his mates) have made Pushkar their permanent home after moving from Australia in 2004. The bustling business is based on Fair Trade principles and has Craftmark accreditation for Kantha Embroidery and Quilt Stitching ensuring what you buy is truly hand-made in India.