Upcoming pop-up sheds light on handloom products
The store which runs online predominantly focuses on handloom and handmade products like sarees, dupattas, yardage, koodai products like bags and trays.
Metallic koodatotes (Plastic wire koodais)
CHENNAI: Based out of Chennai, Sondham is an initiative to educate people about the beauty and history of Indian handloom and hand-made products. Sunitha Prasad started Sondham in April with some of her close associates. “The idea was to curate and create products that reflect our heritage and also foster a community of like-minded individuals. This paves the way to modern-day ‘Sondham’,” starts Sunitha.
Sunitha always wanted to try something in event curation but was hesitant fearing a setback. During her father’s 80th birthday celebration, she realised that the idea of business was always there and it was high time to make the dream come true. “My father had 15 companies during the peak of his career. That hit me and I decided to overcome my fear of failure,” she says.
Mushru varigal
Explaining why the venture is named Sondham, the founder and partner says, “I was certain that I wanted a Tamil-based name and it should embody the source and outcome. While enjoying the motivational and inspirational space Karaikudi offers, this name sprang to my mind.”
The store which runs online predominantly focuses on handloom and handmade products like sarees, dupattas, yardage, koodai products like bags and trays. They also collaborate with similar enterprises for pop-ups.
Sunitha Prasad, founder-partner, Sondham
Sunitha emphasises that the names of the pop-ups they conduct come from the idea of a warm and happy outing for all. “Our upcoming pop-up is named Magizhchi, in which we wanted to showcase our first cotton curation called mushru varigal, along with another new light silk line known as chinna chinna checks. Our curations are from Chanderi, Maheshwari, gadwal, puttapaaka, Karaikudi, parts of Bengal,” she adds. They have collaborated with The Miniverse, Citrine Jewellery (Bengaluru), Karghewale (Maheshwar) and Kumbaya (Bagli) to offer a wide range of products.
Sunitha feels that there should be a society or a centre that could guide newbies on how to set up an online business. She points out that social media is a great platform to take a brand beyond boundaries. “For online stores, it is essential to stay relevant, consistent, and honest through the website, social media platforms, and of course pop-ups,” she remarks.
Magizhchi pop-up is happening at the Voora Villa 96, Akkarai, ECR, on January 5 and 6.