Patterns come alive in her hands

She has always had a strong attraction to fabrics, textures and prints. And at the tender age of 14, Shreya Lohia began indulging this crush by picking up various shades and prints of clothing material, be it silks or georgettes. But this love would stay unrequited for the coming years. It was only when she went to Puducherry for an internship that she found herself on the receiving end.

It has been a year since she started ‘Rajas’, a start-up that caters to your colourful best with laptop sleeves, mobile covers, unique footwear and more. Says Shreya, “I was in Auroville for an architecture internship. Close by to where I stayed there were many cobblers who worked on leather footwear and bags. That’s when I got the idea for ‘Rajas’ — I’ve always wanted to encourage artisans but I didn’t know how, but this was the perfect way.” When she asked the artisans whether they would like to spread their work to Bengaluru and other cities, they were thrilled at the idea.

Once the internship got over, she came back to the City and gave them a platform to showcase their work. Tangentially, she began to develop designs and patterns herself and got them made. So while the footwear is imported from Puducherry, her other products are made by her.

A largely self-taught crafter, she uses different kinds of fabrics on her products. “When I started, I began using all the fabrics I had collected since I was 14. Once they got over, I began looking for more.” Shreya says that she will never produce in bulk precisely for this reason. “One of the most exciting bits of doing this is picking fabrics and making each piece unique. That’s why I don’t sell on any online shopping portals because they ask for products in bulk,” she mentions. As she can’t guarantee that two pieces will be the same, she plays with as many types of fabrics as she can.

With three tailors in the City, she spends all her free time sketching patterns. This isn’t her full-time job yet but she says, “I work as an architect and interior designer but I do this because I love it. But I think my grandmother, who is also interested in crafts, was more excited by the venture than me! She’s in Assam but calls and asks what she can do to help. She makes small trinkets and gifts — keychains and gift bags.”

Once her friends and family showed interest in ‘Rajas’, she took it to a new level. Talking about the name, she says, “‘Rajas’ is a Sanskrit word that means ‘force of activity’. I did a lot of research on Sanskrit philosophy and thought this appropriate. It is one of the three qualities that are attributed to Durga, along with ‘sattva’ and ‘tamas’.”