Bringing Talent to Table

ISSUE: 132

Casual encounters with artisans in rural India took Kanupriya Verma on a path that veered from management studies to setting up a tableware brand that seeks to empower the country’s talented and often unrecognized craftsmen

What role does culture play in your design approach?

KV: We draw inspiration from the multitude and diversity of cultures and traditions in India – both in craft and design.

How did Ikai Asai come about?

KV: Ikai Asai was launched earlier last year, borne out of CuroCarte, which began its journey in 2015, when I met Ananya Birla. The foundation of Ikai Asai is rooted in human creativity. The limitless possibilities and potential of human creativity and a purpose-driven vision of bringing people together inspired us to create Ikai Asai. From the very beginning, it was our curiosity to find the hidden and rare gems of Indian art forms and creativity residing at the heart of grassroots India that led us to create what Ikai Asai stands for today. The last few years have gone into fine-tuning our concept, esthetics, customer and market understanding, and a holistic approach towards our supply chain.

How do you combine form and narration in your designs?

KV: Eventually everything connects in an esthetic and form that evolves from the relationships we nourish – with artisans, designers, and collaborators in the present and our culture inherited from narratives of the past.

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