2021 / / Professional

Freedom Manchaha

• Company
  Jaipur Rugs, India
• Lead Designer
  Kavita Chaudhary
• Client
  Rajasthan Prison Department
• Project Link
  view

Manchaha is a unique social initiative where our weavers not only hand-make each piece but design them too. After, we launched the Freedom Manchaha capsule collection, an offshoot of the Manchaha initiative, where close to 100 long-term disengaged inmates were trained in the art of carpet weaving, turning them into creative powerhouses making hand-knotted rugs using leftover yarn from commercial carpet production. The project aimed to have a long-term impact on how inmates engage and heal in prisons by giving them art and creativity as a tool for introspection, self-expression and optimism.

Bio
Jaipur Rugs is a family business strengthened by the purpose of protecting ancestral know-how and connecting rural craftsmanship with global consumers. It uses the ancestral art of handmade carpets as a tool to bring prosperity to 40,000 rural artisans of which 80% are women. Founded in 1978 by Nand Kishore Chaudhary with two looms, it now has over 7000 looms and sells in over 60 countries. Today the company creates contemporary works of art by collaborating with creative talents capable of showcasing this ancestral craft with a new vision.