Meet slow fashion advocate and leather accessory designer, Sruti Ashok of Inai, at By Hand From The Heart Makers Market this February. In this feature Sruti shares with us her story, read on…
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi, I’m Sruti Ashok. I’ve always been inclined to drawing and creating things from a young age. This led me to an amazing design course in Coimbatore, DJ Academy Of Design where I studied Communication Design. After which I headed to Mumbai, where I worked in design agencies for 3 years, on various projects.
About your venture. What inspired you to start your business?
After working for a few years, I knew deep down I wanted to start something of my own, where I could be my own boss. Having an inclination to fashion, the idea of starting a leather bag and accessory brand in India wasn’t an obvious decision at first, but my dad already being in the same industry gradually changed my mind. In spite of not having any previous experience working with leather, it’s been exciting to learn on the job. The need to start a brand in India, while maintaining the craftsmanship of Indian artisans in an ethical and sustainable manner using premium Italian/Indian leathers to create essential, timeless pieces at affordable prices to consumers in India was of utmost importance, which inspired me to start Inai.
Tell us about your work space.
We have a workshop based out of Madras, where our artisans work together creating our range of products. From start to finish, sourcing and selecting our leathers, to our high quality metal trims, to sourcing the cotton lining, we pay close attention to every single detail. Many of our leathers are sourced from factories which have excess stock leather and we also incorporate the leather pieces leftover from their production, so we’re reducing our consumption and keeping our wastage to a minimum. Our Brand philosophy is “Buy with Love’, we want to inspire our consumers to be mindful of what they buy, and invest in good quality pieces that will last them for years to come and this reflects in every single piece we make.
What are your displaying at the By Hand, From The Heart.
We’ll be displaying our entire range of products! Starting from our small accessories like our Credit card cases, Mini Wallets, Passport Cases, Cosmetic Cases to our Crossbody bags, Backpacks and Tote bags, all made of genuine leather and handcrafted.
Meet the Maker @
By Hand From The Heart Makers Market 23rd Edition
Friday – Saturday
16th & 17th February, 2018
10:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m
Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park, (old Adyar Gate Hotel)
132, T.T.K Road, Alwarpet, Chennai – 600018, India.
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