Sunday, September 1, 2019

KaleNele – Where Color meets Craft!!



I thought the rainbow up in the sky was the most gorgeous colorful thing in the entire world ….
Until I went to the KaleNele solo exhibition hosted by Janhavi (Flat  #5001) at the Bangalore International Center, last Friday.
I was bedazzled!!

KaleNele : Kale = craft, Nele = shelter in Kannada.  A shelter for traditional craft.
And that is the mission of this wonderful young company that started 6 years ago.

With hands-on experience working at one of the pioneering Brand in furnishing retail in India, Janhavi started on her own with a dream to bring local art and craftsmanship from Uttara (North) Karnataka to the forefront of the Indian modern society.
Uttara Karnataka falls on the Deccan plateau which is famous for cotton and silk.  And with rich mineral deposits and free flowing water from river Krishna and its tributaries, weaving , dyeing and creation of bright colorful fabrics flourished.  And also the famous Kasuti embroidery and Kinhal wood carving and crafts and murals.
Alas with the onslaught of synthetic textiles and the western influence and changing fashion trends, this region along with its rich traditional art and culture got side-lined.
Janhavi is focused on bringing back this glorious past to the modern society and the urban public. And she narrates a wonderful story of those good times of Uttara Karnataka through bright colorful display of products and handicrafts!!
And her journey has been fascinating so far!

The challenge is in product development & Marketing.  And how to give a modern touch and relevance to the old style products.
The age old traditional & ‘classical’ products needed to be re positioned to current day market trend. They needed to be adapted and redesigned to urban appeal. And many times, the entire production process needed to be modified and re engineered. And that’s a tough call specially to convince the rural weavers, and craftsman to invest in modifying their loom and equipment & upgrading them as well.

Product creation,design and product marketing is challenging. . Most large companies engage with big market research agencies to identify the right market segment. And then big teams of specialists and product designers and factory, process and quality engineers get engaged to come up with the right range and variety for the market.

And this duo could manage all that with just a group of village artisans who have never entered a high school campus!
 And they have very successfully introduced  hundreds of skillfully designed and perfectly made products!! Truly amazing!!

Check it out for yourself!!!

Vibrant colors & ethnic designs 

Chunky Neck wear for that ‘retro’ appeal




Meet Shree the creative designer who helped put up this impressive show.
Shree is modelling for an exclusive range of Silk shawls!




Emerald & Gold: from the royal collection !


                        


Waiting for Santa!!







Challenging the Rainbow!!

‘Yes, we are getting there, one step at a time’, says a modest Anand.





And Agasthya is having fun while Mom & Grand mom are busy shopping!!






Music – Frozen in time!!

Ethnic Wear Collection!!
Wish I could buy all of them …


What next Janhavi ?? 
Let me guess….
KaleNele solo fashion shows all over India
KaleNele goes public with a successful IPO
And KaleNele gets listed at the BSE with Janhavi ringing the bell !!!

And all of us at SP look forward to seeing these happen very soon!

Jayanthi & Krish..


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