Ananya Jhalani of Dale + Co. scouts for and handpicks global handicrafts so Indian homes can wear a globetrotter attitude. She currently has a line of Vietnamese lacquer ware with candles, boxes, trays, jewellery cases, bowls and statement pieces that she got from her last trip to the local markets in Vietnam.
Like most great stories, this one also begins with, “I was done with my corporate job”. After a family holiday to Vietnam though, Ananya had a moment of clarity and decided to change the (career) course of her life–she stumbled upon handcrafted Vietnamese artifacts and realised that their craftsmanship deserved a bigger platform.
In short, it all fell into place, and she’s now retailing them through her website, Dale + Co. The best thing about this brand is that it doesn’t put beauty over utility, making the products as good-looking as they are useful.
As of now, you can pick between three collections that are inspired by the type of work and craft of three big Vietnamese cities – Hanoi, Saigon and Halong. The Hanoi range has lots of silver leaf inlaid work, Saigon has everything hand-painted, and Halong features the traditional Vietnamese craft of crackled eggshell inlaying along with bamboo items.