TerraKlay is an online lifestyle brand based in Chicago that specializes in handmade home goods. We collaborate with several women artisans groups in India to design and produce home textiles, baskets, blankets, and pottery. Many of them are also immigrant owned businesses.
Many of them have been practicing their craft for generations in order to both preserve their traditions and provide a meaningful life for themselves and their families. Our values are straightforward: we value good design, good people, and good impact. We also support other immigrant owned small businesses.
I’ve committed to collaborating with select groups, including immigrants, to curate a collection of beautiful things for the home–items that are still “TerraKlay” simple, enjoyable and responsible.
We believe that refined living does not have to be at the expense of the environment or the people who make the products. All of our products are made ethically by artisans who take pride in their work using sustainable and organic materials. Our primary goal with the business is to inspire more people to think carefully about the items they have in their lives, by putting together a collection of beautifully designed handmade products from honest origins all with a story to tell.
Since relaunching the business, our biggest challenge has been raising funds to scale it and pay the artisans fairly and on time, especially during these difficult times of the pandemic. The goal is to increase sales so we can create enough work for the artisans to be employed full-time. We are proud of what we do and hope to see TerraKlay products in homes, connecting makers and consumers by sharing a piece of handmade history to treasure and keep.
Manvee’s story
I relocated to the United States from Mumbai, India, to start a family and for love; I was a newlywed moving lock, stock, and barrel to a country I had never seen or visited. Coming from a different culture and settling in a foreign country as an immigrant was difficult. With a formal education in Fine Arts from Mumbai University in India, I had previously worked with folk and tribal artist communities in rural India to gain a thorough understanding of indigenous arts and crafts. As an art student, I’d met several inspiring craftspeople and artisan groups with rich and diverse traditional practices.
After several years of moving around Chicago with my husband for his work, including Australia, and starting a family, I decided to reconnect with the artisan groups and work with them again. It was something I was passionate about, and it tied me back to my birthplace. My husband and I were both invested in growing and supporting talented women’s home-based artisan groups so that they could showcase their traditional crafts and become independent craftpreneurs to support their dreams and families. We were fascinated by how each product had a story to tell, and if you listen carefully enough, it will tell you about the hands that held and crafted it with soul and love.
Instead of closing shop in 2020, it provided me with the opportunity to rethink and rebrand my business, as well as collaborate with select artisan groups to curate a collection of beautiful things for the home—products that are simple, enjoyable, and responsible. The pandemic demonstrated how we are all interconnected, and how quickly life can change. Many artisans’ industries around the world have been severely impacted. I hope we can gradually but steadily rebuild this community.
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