About Kaarigar

Slow craft, fair pay, a home that lasts.

Kaarigar is a small marketplace for independent artisans across India. We sell what they make, pay them fairly, and tell you exactly who made it.

  • Fair, agreed prices
  • Every piece signed
  • Wrapped by hand
Shop the makers Visit the studio
How we got here

From one pottery wheel to a hundred families

A potter's hands shaping clay on a wheel A block printer pressing a carved block onto cloth A wrapped parcel with a wooden maker tag Studio shelves filled with handmade pieces

First workshop visit

Our founders sat at potters' wheels in Khurja and asked how the work was paid.

Khurja, Uttar Pradesh

Textile partners join

Embroiderers and block printers in Kutch and Jaipur start selling through us.

Kutch, Gujarat and Jaipur, Rajasthan

Maker cards begin

Every piece gets a number, a maker card and the name of the village it came from.

On every parcel we ship

Online marketplace

Pieces from more than a hundred families, shipped in cloth-wrapped packing.

Delivered across India

3 maker families working with Kaarigar

What we believe

Three promises we keep in every order

Pay before we sell

Makers are paid a fixed advance before a piece is listed, so the price is never a surprise to them.

Name the hands

Every product page names the maker, their village and the craft. No anonymous "artisan" labels.

Keep it light

Cloth wrapping, paper cartons and no plastic filler. Packaging is reused where it can be.

The makers

A few of the hands behind the shelf

Portrait of Rakesh Kumar

Rakesh Kumar

Potter · Khurja

Twenty-six years at the wheel. Tests every glaze by eye.

Portrait of Meera Patel

Meera Patel

Embroidery lead · Kutch

Leads twelve embroiderers and keeps the thread tension honest.

Portrait of Sunil Verma

Sunil Verma

Woodworker · Saharanpur

Lets every board settle for two years before carving.

Portrait of Ishaan Mehta

Ishaan Mehta

Block printer · Jaipur

Carves every block himself and dyes with indigo and madder.

Visit the studio

Come and see the work where it is made

Workshop with pottery and baskets
Woodwork bench
Studio shelves with handmade pieces
Print table
Handwoven basket with dried flowers
Metal finishing

Studio visits by appointment

Groups of up to six, with a maker walking you through the process.

Book a visit
How we check the work

Open the parcel and see what we check

Tap a pin on the parcel or pick a check from the list. Open all four to clear it for shipping.

A handmade ceramic bowl resting on a parcel wrapped in terracotta paper, tied with ribbon and a wooden maker tag

  • A packer turns each piece in the light and runs a thumb along the rim and base. Cracks, pinholes and uneven glaze go back to the maker, not to you.

    Each piece is inspected by hand before it is packed.

  • Cloth wrap, a paper carton and a ribbon. No plastic filler. Cloth and cartons that come back to us go into the next order.

    Cloth wraps and paper cartons, reused where possible.

  • If something arrives chipped or faulty, tell us through the contact page with a photo and we will arrange a replacement.

    Chipped or faulty pieces replaced within 14 days.

  • The number on the maker tag links to a payment record. Once a year an outside accountant checks those records against what each maker was actually paid.

    Maker payments reviewed by an outside accountant each year.

1 of 4 checks opened

Ask about a piece
Work with us

Are you a maker with a studio and a story?

We take on a few new studios each season. Tell us what you make and how long it takes, and we will reply within two weeks.

Apply as a maker