Reviving Indian Handlooms with Amazon Karigar: Nuapatanapata’s Vision of Artisan Community on National Handloom Day

Nuapatanapata, an inspiring example of how Indian traditional handloom artistry can thrive in the digital age. Their journey began in April 2020, when they embarked on an entrepreneurial adventure with a wealth of experience in local handloom craftsmanship. Initially, their sales were modest, but with the advent of e-commerce services and the invaluable support from Amazon Karigar Program, their online presence blossomed.
Amazon’s Karigar Program has played a pivotal role in establishing Nuapatanapata’s brand, providing assistance with offers, discounts, pricing, designs, and logistics, fuelling significant growth that led to remarkable revenue exceeding 1 crore and beyond. On the occasion of National handloom day, we spoke to Manas Thosh, Founder of Nuapatanapata:
Q1: What was your business before you started listing on the marketplace?
As a local artisan with a lifelong experience in working with Indian handlooms, I embarked on my entrepreneurial journey and founded Nuapatanapata in April 2020. In the beginning, our sales were modest, but as soon as we embraced e-commerce services, our online presence thrived remarkably. With invaluable assistance from Amazon managers, we successfully established our brand on the marketplace. Amazon’s Karigar Program has played a pivotal role in supporting us with offers, discounts, pricing, designs, and logistics, enabling substantial growth for our business. Thanks to Amazon, we have achieved remarkable revenue growth, surpassing 1 crore and beyond – a feat we owe solely to this program!

Q2: What handloom forms are you working on and how do you plan to revive them?
At Nuapatanapata, we craft an exquisite range of sarees including Ikkat, Katan, silk, and tussar varieties. Moreover, we take pride in offering a diverse collection of tussar, dupattas, suit pieces, running materials, t-shirts, and kurtas.

Q3: How has your team grown after listing on the Amazon marketplace?
Nuapatanapata, our brand, derives its name from our quaint village in Odisha called Nuapatanapata. In addition to our family’s involvement, our entire village actively contributes to our brand’s success. Partnering with Amazon has been a blessing for our business, as it has facilitated remarkable growth. We started with a team of 10 artisans, but now have expanded to become a team of 55 local artisans, all dedicated to the craft of Nuapatanapata.

Q4: From which market do you get the most orders? Any feedback you received from your consumers?
At Nuapatanapata, customers are treated with utmost respect, and their feedback holds great importance to us. We personally investigate every issue and suggestion provided by our customers to enhance the quality of our products. The overwhelming appreciation we receive from our customers fuels our motivation to constantly refine our offerings and surpass their expectations. With Amazon Karigar as our marketplace, our handloom products are now accessible to people all over the country, sparing them from the need to travel long distances or overspend on local handloom purchases. Our main customer base lies in Bengaluru and Bengal.

Q5: Handloom products are often associated with traditional forms. How are you contemporizing your products?
We embrace tradition while embracing change. Our mission is to showcase our rich Indian heritage and unique art forms in a way that resonates with the modern world. To achieve this, we closely monitor trends and pay attention to what consumers want. Based on our research, we make thoughtful updates to our products, finding the perfect balance between tradition and contemporary appeal.