If you’ve shopped for exquisite Christmas trees and cheery baubles abroad, chances are some of them might have been the creations of Thoothukudi-based Rohini Motha and her brother-in-law Russell Motha. The duo has been exporting to biggies like IKEA, Crate and Barrel, Bed Bath and Beyond, Target and Walmart for over 20 years.
Crafting earthy home décor accessories with tamarind seeds, coconuts, palm fibre, banana fibre, jute, wood shavings, leaves and corn husk is their forte; and now they have started retailing in India.
New beginnings
From poinsettia baskets, to Christmas stars and tabletop trees, their 2017 Christmas collection is available at the week-old Aardvark Design Store started by Rohini’s daughter, Anjali Motha George. A lawyer by profession, George held her store’s first exhibition last week and is gearing up for the second one this weekend. “It is heartening to see the growing demand for such products in India. I will soon include similar brands and plan to expand to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi,” says George, who plans to curate fresh products for Pongal early next year.
From the earth
“We started off with a small group of women at my house in Thoothukudi. Today, our factory employs over 400 women,” says Rohini, who sources her materials from a network of farmers and raw material suppliers in the South. Once purchased, they are dried and dyed in Thoothukudi, which falls in the rain shadow region, providing them the ideal climate.
Dutch connection
Speaking of how the idea took off, she explains they (she and Russell) were always interested in entering the eco-friendly gifting market as there was a high demand in Europe. It all started in the late ’80s when Russell attended an agricultural show in Israel. “He was later approached by Dutch company, Hogewoning, and they expressed an interest in partnering with us,” says Rohini, who had happened to quit her teaching career then and was looking for other avenues.
But it was only after over six years of training under senior Dutch designers that they were confident to enter the market. They soon connected with companies like IKEA and started exporting pot pourri, bouquets and other tabletop accessories. “We come out with two collections each year: Spring and Winter. Each season has a different concept and we change our colour scheme every six months. Apart from the Christmas collection that comprises trees and baubles, the pumpkin wreaths and flower bunches are a big hit for Thanksgiving,” she explains.
Go for green
Their products are durable and require little to no maintenance, which is why they are extremely sought after as wedding and party gifts abroad. “The fact that they are handmade adds to their appeal. India is a growing market for ‘green’ products, especially among youngsters,” she says, adding that they’ve already started working on the 2018 Christmas collection. “It’s going to be an all-natural range with browns and greens and not too much shine and glitter.”
But why did it take so long to start retailing back home? “Since we were working with an export license we could not retail here. But with recent changes in export license laws, we can now sell in India,” she explains.
Products are priced from ₹600 onwards.
The Alwarpet Street Fest will be held on December 17 at 29 & 77 C P Ramaswamy Road, from 11 am to 9 pm. To place an order, Whatsapp 9940245105.
With inputs from Tejas Umesh
