Hand-drawn pen kalamkari on a beautiful soft flowy pure silk fabric. Kalamkari is a heritage eco-friendly hand-painting ancient craft like Madhubani, Gond, Warli, etc. The exclusive fabric is sourced directly from artisans, hand-crafted & sustainable. Support our Indian artisans.
#kalamkari #heritage #madhubani #gondart #warlipainting #traditionalcrafts #ecofriendly #sustainablefabric
Unfortunately, neither the fabric seen in the photo is authentic kalamkari, nor am I selling it. I lied & tried to convince you into buying digitally printed, kalamkari-looking, synthetic chiffon fabric with a free image, fancy descriptions & hashtags.
Here are some thumb rules before buying craft/textiles online.
1] Having a huge number of followers, a lot of likes on a post, & numerous comments don't guarantee the product's authenticity. Nor do celebrities flaunting or influencers endorsing. Singing & dancing can be refreshing, but it doesn't say much about the product.
2] If it's a new brand that you have started following, do not buy anything for the first month or so. Thereafter, ask relevant questions, & start with a small purchase. Know who is behind the brand.
3] Notice the brand's content, as in, are they trying to explain the process & the people behind the product? & is there anything that you learn from them?
4] Check if the brand is consistent on social media & whether the image, descriptions, & hashtags are in synch? See how they respond to queries, yours or others.
5] Be a part of a craft/textile group, & enquire about the brand & product. Before buying, google & understand the product thoroughly from multiple reliable sources.
6] If a brand is selling a niche product, it's likely they command a better understanding of that product than any sundry aggregator.
7] Compared to Instagram & WhatsApp, buying from a website has advantages, as you will get to see more images, & information about the products & their various policies. Small e-commerce owners are usually careful about their content, fearing bad google reviews.
Finally, authenticity is not necessarily about the product, but it's about your choices. Be authentic & own what you buy.
