These Etsy Sellers Have Wowed Global Buyers With Their Made-In-India Products!

Etsy needs no introduction. It is not just an online destination, it is a treasure trove of all things quirky and unique. A global marketplace, Etsy connects a vibrant community of supremely-talented sellers to people who have a penchant for stocking up on everything that’s out of the ordinary. Etsy empowers people to follow their dream and create what they love, and in turn, also helps buyers find extraordinary items. While there are hundreds of sellers, we turn the spotlight on some of the coolest female sellers on Etsy from India. Here’s a quick read on what sets them apart from the rest...

MINI PIECES OF ART WITH A MAJOR DOSE OF CUTE!
Etsy Shop: SmallIdeaByShirali by Shirali Patel
Location: Ahmedabad 
USP: Miniature Art
Success Story: “I was on a sabbatical and bored out of my mind... It was then that I decided to create miniatures. My work was highly appreciated by family and friends, and was selling fast! This motivated me to look for a platform where I could sell such niche items. I found Etsy through one of the artist forums and started my first shop in 2011. And as expected, there was no looking back after that.
I sell handmade, miniature utility products in 1:6 scale. The range includes USB pen drives, bookmarks, coasters, magnets, planner clips, planner charms, personal accessories et all. Everything that you see on my Etsy shop is made from scratch and built piece by piece. I don’t even use any moulds. But what sets small IDEA apart is the composition created on various food dishes...every single dish stands out. I would say, that really is my brand’s unique selling point: realistic-looking miniatures, especially food miniatures, that look extremely edible and real. It’s the perfect congruence of art with day to day utility products.”

HANDMADE WITH LOVE
Etsy Shop: KaribyKriti by Kriti Jindal
Location: Hyderabad
USP: Handcrafted Home Decor Items With a Potential to Become Heirloom Pieces
Success Story: “I grew up surrounded by my mother’s love for sarees and handlooms and went on to study apparel merchandising. I worked as a textile buyer and designer before starting Kari by Kriti in 2014. I often go back to my roots, a small Himalayan town in India for inspiration. I work a lot with hand-block print textiles and create home decor products like quilts, word pillows, cushion covers, curtains, loungewear, and accessories. I also sell vintage textiles that I curate from across India from time to time. 
My designs are a reflection of my childhood re-imagined in a modern, bohemian style. My travel to the Rann of Kutch in 2011 was a turning point in my life and helped me develop a deep love and sense of gratitude for artisanal textiles. Ever since, I have travelled across India, developing sustainable products for modern homes across the world, from traditional textiles. I work with 100% cotton fabric in hand block print or shibori. I am also working on a capsule collection of handspun cotton fabric that is handwoven in the Himalyan town of DehraDun. 
In 2012, while nursing a broken ankle, I started my blog, Handmade Talks where I shared stories about my love for textiles and interviewed passionate, creative, small entrepreneurs. Inspired by these stories of men and women turning their passion into a creative outlet and using marketplaces like Etsy, I created my blueprint for Kari by Kriti. In 2014, I was finally able to build this business from scratch with an online store on Etsy. Etsy gave me a global platform and the wings that I needed to take off! It was easy to sign up on Etsy and there were no upfront fees. Etsy turned out to be a great platform for me to showcase my designs globally. They have been true to their promise of only handmade or vintage and that is what makes Etsy truly unique.”

SIX YARDS OF ELEGANCE
Etsy Shop: EkDori by Abhilasha Mehta
Location: Pune
USP: One-Of-A-Kind Pieces
Success Story: “Ek Dori caters to the global modern Indian woman. We create apparel that is wearable, memorable and reminds you of home and India, no matter you may be. We are focused on sarees, but we also do a lot of fun jackets, dresses, and loungewear. We like to create pieces in very small quantities, because we wish to create pieces that are special and unique. We might work with all kinds of fabrics, but we make them our own through embroideries, embellishments, and other unique treatments.
Etsy has some amazing stores and creative individuals featuring their work on the website. I was an Etsy customer long before I became an Etsy seller. I have spent countless hours marvelling over the gorgeous range of products on Etsy. So when I thought of starting my brand, setting a store on Etsy was an organic step. I felt immense excitement and pride when I could count myself as part of an incredibly talented and encouraging community. Being on Etsy has been pure joy--it isn’t just a selling platform it is a family of supportive creatives.”

MARVELLOUS PIECES OF ART 
Etsy Shop: StudioAnahata by Dithi Mukherjee
Location: Kolkata
USP: Paintings That Carry a Piece of India
Success Story: “My creative, entrepreneurial self started fully manifesting itself in Geneva, Switzerland. My husband’s work had taken us across the seas. Before this, with a background in Nutrition, I was working in Mumbai as a dietician. In Europe, while trying to fit into the ‘new way of life, my heart was seeking a deeper, richer experience. I decided to quit the pursuit of Nutrition and follow my heart’s intuition...which led me into the fascinating world of creative expression. 
Through my Etsy shop, I sell signed art prints mostly and, once in a while, original artworks (paintings and printmaking pieces). I plan to start listing my crystals and photographs too, but the current environment has made me wait a while before I take my next steps into product building and listings. My paintings are done in watercolour and acrylic paints on either canvas or paper. The digital prints are made from these originals on high quality, acid-free, textured paper and archival, fine grained canvases. In printmaking, my favourite mediums are woodblock and linocut prints, I also have worked with lithography and etchings.
If I had to list down the USP of my brand, I’d say it’s the energy of the heart and soul that is put out in creating, sharing and sending the products to collectors. It’s the story that my canvases carry (that are intertwined with my own life journey), the essence of India that they carry, the smell of Bengal, the colours and vibration that they carry… Spiritual energy inspires my core and determines what I do and how I do it. And that’s what sets my work apart.”

QUIRKY ITEMS FOR A TRULY UNIQUE HOME
Etsy Shop: TheHungryPalette by Shubhashree Sangameswaran
Location: Hyderabad
USP: Conversation Starter Home Decor Items
Success Story: “I sell custom-made travel maps, kitchen wall art prints, as well as copies of my zine on sustainability. My brand’s unique selling point is that I can sum up that trip of a lifetime you took into a unique, beautiful piece of art for your walls. I love converting travel stories into beautiful visuals with the help of watercolour paints, and colour pens and pencils.
I know you have probably heard this before, but I truly believe every Etsy seller is unique, and we bring our own personality and flavour to our work. I’m always keen on the customer experience being out of this world, and hence I’m ready to go the extra mile to make their purchase a great experience. Given that I was an Etsy customer before I became a seller, it was a natural step for me to set up my own shop on Etsy because it’s synonymous with all things handmade!”

SUSTAINABLE, STYLISH DESIGNS 
Etsy Shop: Ekum Exclusive by Vandana Maithani and Jaideep Oberoi
Location: New Delhi
USP: Unique and Unpredictable Styles
Success Story: “We are a self-funded business with unlimited aspirations! We want to be a national and global player, but it is not economically feasible for us to achieve our lofty goals through retail, so we decided to go online with Etsy. Etsy doesn’t just help us reach out to people in India...but globally! Moreover, it’s just the right platform for handcrafted, niche products and caters to an audience that is already inclined towards such products. 
Exclusive western wear for women, handcrafted in India for the world.
Ekum is designed to appeal to women who value personal style and have a meaningful relationship with clothes. We believe the true meaning of clothing lies in how you use it to express yourself to the world. Being a brand founded by women for women, we celebrate the versatility of feminine expression and offer unparalleled variety in our collection, as a niche brand. Our designs are crafted in natural fabrics like cotton (high thread count muslin cotton and handloom) and silk (primarily, recycled Indian saris). We also create hand-beaded dresses that promote the generational craft of Indian adda work–this requires stronger fabrics so we use a variety of recycled fabrics for this collection. All our fabrics are sustainable and developed and sourced in India.”

UPCYCLED STYLES FOR THE WIN
Etsy Shop: NinoshkaIndia by Ninoshka Alvares E Delaney
Location: Goa
USP: Zero Waste Fashion 
Success Story: “As a fashion design student, I always admired the products that sold on Etsy...handmade and unique in nature. This resonated with the kind of products that I made. However, I wanted to reach out to a larger audience that appreciated this uniqueness, and this wasn’t available in the shops in India where I had a brand presence. When I got the opportunity to list on Etsy, I was thrilled to do so, as it allowed me to come together with a larger community of people who shared my creativity and enthusiasm. It also allowed me to explore and tap more of a global market, as my designs have a global appeal.
We sell handloom garments, necklaces, face masks and home accessories like cushions made from upcycled or natural material. We pride ourselves on being an ethical and responsible zero waste brand, as we try to minimise wastage as much as possible. We work with handloom fabrics, natural and vegetable dyes like indigo, lac, pomegranate, etc. We also use natural materials like seashells, coconut shells, and terracotta. The zero wastage philosophy is what sets us apart, as well as the uniqueness of the garments in combining fabrics, textures, embroidery from across India in a single garment.”

For More Info:
- Sign up link: bit.ly/MakeMeAnEtsySeller
- Etsy Instagram: @etsyin
- Website: www.etsy.com
- E-mail: tara@etsy.com