Behind the Brand: Unearthing the Founder's Story

                                                                                                   

                             My Baseyra Journey                                               

Much like others of my generation, my memory has faded over time. But some specific memories are so vivid, as if they happened yesterday. One of these memories for me is my mother sitting with her Usha sewing machine, a visual etched forever in my heart. She would use it to stitch frocks and night suits for me and my siblings. She also used her creativity to design household knick-knacks like handkerchiefs, kitchen towels, table covers, and so on, which we would use at home and gift to friends and relatives. That was my first exposure to handmade items; the dedication it takes, and the beauty of both the process and the outcome.

Coming from a middle-class family with limited resources, hand-me-downs from siblings and cousins was the natural cycle of clothing. But they always needed some alterations or mending, which my mother was adept at. This was how the seeds of recycling were sown early on.
Since my teens, I was fascinated by fashion, for which the primary source of exposure was only magazines like Femina back in the 70s! My favourite pass-time was to mix-n-match designs and style outfits for myself. Friends and family came to me for tips and appreciated my sense of design. This fuelled my confidence to keep experimenting in this space.

I continued to gain more knowledge of fabrics, while learning the intricacies of stitching, knitting, embroidery and other skills in this domain, during my bachelors in Home Science. Since I did my bachelors in Jaipur, the hub of colourful cottons and traditional dyeing & printing techniques, my love for and knowledge of natural fabrics and Indian artisanal skills grew.

This stayed as a passion for me as I carried on designing household knick-knacks & clothing for my kids, nieces & nephews, just like my mother used to. A little later in life, I assisted my husband with interior design projects wherein I started to observe the growing appreciation for traditional crafts, even in contemporary settings. At the same time, visiting other countries, and hosting international friends made me realize the interest in handcrafted products globally.

And over time, I started to feel the urge to pursue my passion on a larger scale; I wanted to support women artisans, as an ode to my mother, and to promote traditional crafts & techniques through my contemporary designs. This is when the idea came to fruition, and Baseyra was born!

Since sustainable and mindful living had been second nature to me growing up, I knew that had to be a foundational element of Baseyra. I have always believed in recycling products and reducing waste, and I find my creative juices rolling to repurpose things before the end of their life. My aim from day one with Baseyra has been for it to live up to this ideology.

The Baseyra team sincerely hopes that we can help you create a home that truly reflects your personalilty while feeling strongly rooted in India.