India’s 200 million strong artisan economy showcases the vital role played by the informal sector in bringing creativity in conversation with sustainable development in the Global South. 200 Million Artisans (200M), an aspiring Zebra enterprise, recently released their new research —  www.businessofhandmade.com — an immersive multimedia research project that explores the relationship between India’s cultural economy and informality. The research documents the role of craft-based enterprises in formalising India’s artisan economy. 200M documented 12 social and creative enterprises from diverse geographies, of varying sizes, and legal structures to understand how they navigate challenges posed by informality and culture.

The study includes scalable worker-ownership approaches, co-created solutions addressing sustainable production, models that ‘emote’ to those that want to resist the “McDonaldization” of craft. It also presents a uniquely Global South perspective by offering pathways to embed the logic and systems of informal creative cultures into more formal pipelines. Ultimately, it attempts to propose a conceptual reframing of inclusive business practices for the new economy by drawing from the experience of India’s artisan sector.

This event attempts to present some of these insights straight from the enterprises featured in the research while bringing newer approaches from the West like Zebras Unite and E2C in conversation with existing models from India.

Priya Krishnamoorthy, Founder & CEO, 200 Million Artisans

Danny Spitzberg, Lead Researcher, Turning Basin Labs

Shruti Jagota, Project Head, Commitment to Kashmir

Karthik Vaidyanathan, Founder, Varnam Craft Collective

Nathan Schneider, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado, Boulder | Board Member, Zebras Unite

Business of Handmade | Advocacy Report