What is Goddess Of Glocal?
Goddess of Glocal is a platform championing new-age Indian artisans and a marketplace for couture that does not break the bank.
Our mission is to usher India’s exemplary design past into the future of style and substance with the spotlight on craftsmanship and conscious consumerism.
A letter from Shreya Ghosh, Founder & Director
Hello There!
I am a design professional with 15 years of extensive experience in Global Sourcing, Creative Vision and Marketing.
After spending a decade and half in the craft, fashion and design industry, I am building Goddess of Glocal : An ethical and transparent community of India’s finest artisans and conscientious clientele.
I am a design professional with 15 years of extensive experience in Global Sourcing, Creative Vision and Marketing.
After spending a decade and half in the craft, fashion and design industry, I am building Goddess of Glocal : An ethical and transparent community of India’s finest artisans and conscientious clientele.
How My Grandfather’s Chic Choices Sent Me on a Global Treasure Hunt for Craft, Culture & Couture.
My grandfather, a middle-class railway officer of impeccable taste, had a distinctive approach to his wardrobe. He preferred seeking out artisans directly. The result was a wardrobe that was meticulously curated and maintained yet compact enough to fit into a single suitcase. His commitment to pure and sustainable practices was my initial inspiration to embark on this journey.
Subsequently, my childhood was punctuated by annual travels across India with my parents, characterized by frugality. We would lodge in modest government holiday homes, dine with the locals and embrace public transportation. These experiences fueled my curiosity and encouraged me to immerse myself in local crafts, fashion, culture, communities, and culinary traditions. Countless hours spent alongside artisans and their families at craft clusters, conversing, observing their creative processes, learning, and sharing meals, left an indelible mark on me. In adulthood, work took me to some of the world’s biggest fashion hubs, allowing me to nurture my passion for hidden treasures. I ditched tourist traps for alleys frequented by locals, learning about various crafts and delving into the lives of those practicing them.
Subsequently, my childhood was punctuated by annual travels across India with my parents, characterized by frugality. We would lodge in modest government holiday homes, dine with the locals and embrace public transportation. These experiences fueled my curiosity and encouraged me to immerse myself in local crafts, fashion, culture, communities, and culinary traditions. Countless hours spent alongside artisans and their families at craft clusters, conversing, observing their creative processes, learning, and sharing meals, left an indelible mark on me. In adulthood, work took me to some of the world’s biggest fashion hubs, allowing me to nurture my passion for hidden treasures. I ditched tourist traps for alleys frequented by locals, learning about various crafts and delving into the lives of those practicing them.
Discoveries and Insights
In the course of my travels in India, I noticed that newer generations of artisans do not share the passion of their predecessors for the family craft, despite having received formal training. “We’d rather not endure the struggles they faced to earn a living,” is a common, and might I add, a justified refrain.
A deep dive made it clear that the root cause of this disconnect is the insistence on upholding time-honored traditions of the craft. If not steered carefully, this runs the risk of design outputs that may not age well.Modernization efforts, on the other hand, yield products accessible only to the affluent when beautiful things should not need generational wealth to own.The exceptional craftsmanship of India honed through generations and centuries, then, requires a contemporary touch - to not only make it a viable career for the next gen, but also open it to a whole new and wider subset of patrons.
What would be the best way to implement ethical practices, encourage younger artisans to take their heritage forward and create pieces that wouldn’t require buyers to break the bank?
Enter Goddess of Glocal.
As we build and grow, there's nothing that sparks joy in my heart more than the prospect of sharing this adventure with you.
