ALUMNI

NORTH, Rahul Bhushan

“North” is a land where anything is possible and life is easy and fun. It is a quiet place in the woods, somewhere we feel free, experience living in splendid nature, driven by diverse backgrounds, experiences, skills and passion; where we can enjoy each other’s company and are reliant on each other as we practice new skills together.

NORTH is an artist residency, off beat experiential traditional stay and a centre for Himalayan craftsmanship and design innovation.  It inspires a self sustainable way of living through natural building, organic farming, and appropriate technology driven by wilderness and creativity. 
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Mirrah, Pooja Shirali

At Mirrah we are on a qualitative journey to bring people closer to local art from different regions and to create a global community of Makers who enjoy making their own art.  We want to make people enjoy, connect and share their love for art and culture through our art tours and art products like silicon stamps and other DIY products that have been carefully crafted to bring people’s imagination to life. 

Democratization of art by bringing the breadth of global artforms to your home and cross-pollination of ethnic artforms are at the heart of our business. ‘The classes were all very interesting and intriguing with a very different teaching methodology but the one that really blew my mind was

Sarcose, Azeem Topiwala

Sarcose is your dose of sarcasm. There are several times when you have a lot in your mind during your encounters with stupidity, but you can’t say anything because they are your friends or family members.  Sarcose is a line of merchandise, unique products and ideas that hurtle around routine encounters with stupidity followed by their subsequent comebacks. A full-blown soft launch is coming soon.

‘I started out with something else & ended up with something completely different. That’s the journey of an idea. The course helped me ask the right kind of questions, connected me with creative minds from different spheres. Neatly spaced out boot-camps & aptly assigned mentors helped me sharpen my business plan further. Highly recommended for someone who has a strong idea, an intent to carry it forward & a ton of cluelessness with the process.’ – Azeem Topiwala, Class of 2019

ARTEART, Tanya Singhal

ARTEART is a curated digital platform that aims to provide holistic information and easy access to visual art exhibitions from the Indian subcontinent. 

Our aim is to make visual arts accessible for everyone, for them to be able to explore it and find inspiration in it. ‘During my time at CCBP, I had the privilege to meet some amazing teachers and mentors who have helped shape my idea into a business with a potential, brilliant batchmates who are equally if not more passionate about some of the most fantastic creative ideas. They all become part of this support system that motivates you, promotes you and is there for you, even after the program ends.’ – Tanya Singhal, Class of 2019.

Banjara Talkies, Vipasha Tilak

Banjara Talkies is a community building initiative that focuses on celebrating intimate musical concerts. The secret concerts will be an invite-only experience.

A typical Banjara concert is moody, cinematic and has an element of rustic earthiness in its flavour. It is interspersed with music, storytelling and creating a journey through songs.

Be it a sacred melody or a snake-charming tune, the Banjara experience aims to capture and demonstrate the rich sonic tapestry of India.
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MASON & CO, Jane Mason

India’s 1st bean-to-bar chocolate maker, producing organic, gourmet, single-origin chocolate and cacao products.

At Mason & Co much of the chocolate making processes like the sorting, winnowing, tempering, and packaging are non-mechanised and done by hand.Handcrafted in Auroville, the workforce at Mason & Co consists of an all-female team of local village women who are trained in the art of chocolate making.

Just like wine, cacao beans grown in one region or farm will have ‘terroir’ which means that they will develop flavours specific to the climate, farming, and processing. By using single origin beans it ensures purity in flavour dedicated to a specific region. Every bar of chocolate bought can be tracked to a specific region or farm.

“For anyone with a sincere desire to further Read more

IRO IRO, Bhaavya Goenka

irō irō was formed, to bring happiness back to the planet, and to those who inhabit it. The handwoven fabrics are a 100% recycled, woven with love and care by weavers from a village near Jaipur, India. Small but growing family carefully creates patterns for your personality, all from fabric that would otherwise have been sent to the landfill, and it’s not just the fabric that is finding new life. Every finished irō irō product represents the revival of a dying craft tradition. Every product sold supports a family of weavers and enables them to pursue a profession they are passionate about, instead of having to move into the unorganized sector.

“I had always thought that constant innovation to achieve minimal carbon footprint will be what takes irō irō ahead, however, what I have learned in the past few months at the course is that it is constant improvement first. CLLB made me realize it is the value. The value of the conscious mindset. A future where what we wear speaks about our style and our character.
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TULI, Sujata Sarawgi

Tuli is a fashion brand that offers hand-woven, hand embroidered and handcrafted apparel. Keeping the essence of Indian traditions, yet giving the products an inspirational, effortless and individualistic look. Tuli also aims to deliver natural textiles from across India.

Tuli’s collection is a manifestation of the basic values of sustainability, timelessness, and individualism to their customers.

“An extremely thought-provoking journey where one looks within for all answers. I had the best mentor I could ask for, Anchal Jain.” – Sujata Sarawgi, Class of 2016

UPASANA, Uma Prajapati

Upasana’s mission is to create conscious sustainable fashion, taking care of the environmental cost and not passing it on to the future. For them, design is creative, problem-solving. Any problem, be it post-tsunami trauma, farmer suicides, garbage littering, weavers losing their job, Upasana looks at social issues as a space to exercise for change. Upasana honours every craftsman, consciously, at every stage of crafting their products, shifting fashion to touch the soul instead of just the body. It is a unit under the Auroville Foundation.

“I woke up to accept business as my Yoga instead of shying away from it. I began to celebrate that we as a ‘Brand’ have a unique stand and positioning. It helped me to use rational thinking in decision making. It made me more conscious about perfecting the product and its positioning. I also became conscious of conscious businesses itself.” – Uma Prajapati, Class of 2015

NIDHI YASHA

Nidhi Yasha, is a womenswear label that spells craftsmanship. Painstakingly handcrafted, detailed surfaces weave stories in yarn. The brand is designed to target a niche clientele that celebrates artisanal expression and loves to experiment. Fabrics are mostly natural and hand-woven and the label offers sustainable, timeless luxury for those who resonate with its tribe.

“CLLB at IIMA was the perfect platform for me to understand and learn what I was missing out on, and which areas needed to be brushed for me to prepare my company and brand to be “Global ready”. Caught in the rut of running a full-time business, the schedule of the course was also such that it suited one’s routine by design and it was a dream come true for me to be able to experience the excellence IIMA offers in terms of its educational programs.” – Nidhi
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Marc’s Coffees, Marc Tormo

Marc’s Coffees is an Indian specialty coffee company focusing on the ‘seed to cup’ concept, roasted with passion and precision.

Coffee Ideas!, being Marc’s Coffees parent company, is one of the first companies in India to roast high quality certified coffee that is bio-dynamic, organic, fair trade and UTZ certified for the Indian gourmet market, under the name Marc’s Coffees.

It is a unit under the Auroville Foundation and is a member of the Specialty Coffee Association.

“CLLB course gave me insights with cutting-edge classroom learning, from critical thinking, decision-making process and finances to understanding different perspectives. Peer learning was also great amongst the participants who I continue to keep in touch with. Ideas! has grown in profits and has increased revenue of more than 50%. Master classes by the faculty were inspirational and eye-opening.” – Marc Tormo, Class of 2017

SPHERE, Sonali Sheth

The Miraas collection for Sphere, encapsulates my memorable experiences through the streets of Turkey.

Crafted in 14 and 18kt gold, this keepsake collection is an embodiment of the unique “East meets West” – culture of Turkey, as a befitting metaphor to the spirit of the woman of today. Each design in the collection can be further customized in multiple pattern and color options – empowering the consumer to be a part of the design process.

“Through the CLLB course at IIMA, I wanted to explore the way forward for a design based fine jewellery company like Sphere and create an effective ‘go to market’ strategy to execute the vision of making it a global brand. I designed a collection that could be used as a Minimum Viable Product to be taken to market and tested with the new strategy.” – Sonali Sheth, Class of 2017

MOOKUTHI, Sarath Selvanathan

Mookuthi is the house of nose ornaments that tells unique Indian stories, handmade by artisans from craft traditions that are rapidly fading away. Based in Madras, Tamil Nadu, Mookuthi launched in February 2018 with over 100 nose ornaments spread across 3 distinct collections.

“At CLLB, it was truly exhilarating to be among people who created saris, shoes, perfumes, ceramics and other luxury and lifestyle products. I walked in hoping to learn more about the audience I was hoping to cater to and I walked out with a brand, too.

In a short while, Mookuthi has made a connection with the women it both seeks to adorn and is inspired by, a humbling and gratifying thought. At this point in Mookuthi’s evolution, I can clearly see the many merits of my time at IIMA. The course threw a whole
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ZOLA INDIA, Gina Joseph

Zola India as a brand aims to enhance and create sustainable livelihoods for rural artisans across India, by designing unique jewellery that celebrates India’s rich craft heritage. Design workshops are conducted in villages, transforming craft into wearable art for the contemporary urban global market. Each piece narrates a story about the artisan’s community, ethnographic background and history.

Zola India has conducted over 13 Design workshops in rural India in the past three years. Zola has worked with Dhokra and Pattachitra from Orissa, Toda embroidery from Tamilnadu, Wall Mural art and Aranmula mirror from Kerala, Leather puppetry, Lac Turnery from Andhra Pradesh and Bidri from Karnataka.

“The main take away for me from the programme was that I learnt how to put together a business plan and pitch presentations for Zola. These learnings, post the program, have helped me close my first round of funding. Apart from that, the network of professors who Read more