What used to be an interesting hidden gem in Alwarpet, is now a fancy, air-conditioned store in Indira Nagar, Adyar. Run by Rajalakshmi Srikanth, all the products displayed in this showroom is made by women from low-income groups and disadvantaged communities. They have lots of jute bags in different sizes with super cute indie designs. You can find plain yellow and green jute handbags (INR100) with a satin ribbon bow in the middle. Dump all your essentials like phone, keys, kajal, and purse for that movie date! Sling bags with kalamkari designs will leave you confused on which one to pick! We also liked the bags and clutch with seashells stitched to it almost giving a boho feel to it.
For Navaratri, pick up the smaller bags with embroidery starting INR 150. They can fit manjal-kumkum and vettalai-paaku. Their lunch bags with flower motifs are best for everyday use. We also found laptop cases in jute and pretty spacious backpacks in hues of yellow, pink, blue and more. Their limited but good collection of jute jewellery also piqued our interest.
Ditch those fancy leather bags and go with a chic, indie jute handbags with intricate designs of elephants and peacocks on it. We found a beautiful pink jute bag with a woman’s portrait woven on it. They are ready for a super early Christmas with Santa Clause and reindeers motifs as well!
When you are done browsing the bags, check out the jute clocks here - the numbers are hand-painted on jute cloth, which is stuck to four wooden blocks. We found adorable handpainted jute-based paintings here, too, priced from INR 300.