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Handcrafted Stories from India to the World
India has always been known for its traditional crafts – from footwear making to textiles, pottery, metalwork and more. But to truly understand the art of handcrafted products in India, it is important to be aware of the cultural history and significance we attach to the body, clothing, objects and rituals that surround us. For us at Banjaaran Studio, this story began with feet and footwear.
Feet are sometimes considered to be the most humble, and at the same time, the most revered part of the human body. There are innumerable references to feet and feet worship in Indian literature. The religious and cultural significance of feet in the Indian tradition is unique. The feet are considered to be sacred and therefore objects of veneration: the feet of elders are worshipped by the younger generation, the feet of religious teachers and holy men and women by their followers, the feet of idols by their devotees and the feet of those from whom a wrongdoer seeks forgiveness.
Almost paradoxically, the sentiment of humility and submissiveness evoking the emotions of awe, respect and adoration is rooted in the idea that feet are the humblest, most impure and polluting part of the body, and therefore may command respect by those who surrender their ego to the venerable.
Choosing a handcrafted product – whether it is something you wear or something you live with every day – is thus a conscious choice for someone who values craft, history, time and tradition. We at Banjaaran Studio translate these values into our products, crafted using artisan production techniques handed down through generations. Our designs organically reflect our love of contrast and are meticulously crafted in pursuit of a perfect balance between construction and creativity.
Our collections are a narrative walked through the life of a wanderer, who finds beauty in memoirs acquired along the journey. Inspired by people and their stories of courage, rebellion and persistence, the collection comes alive in an assortment of handcrafted textiles and techniques compiled from various regions across the country, and uses contemporary silhouettes and forms infused with traditional construction techniques.
In designing our unique combinations of colours, textures and materials, it is vital to us that Banjaaran Studio fulfils the needs of the modern wanderer – in how they dress, travel and live. Our artisan production techniques ensure that each piece is handmade to perfection, not just in terms of aesthetic, but also in construction that remains unbeatable.
We began with footwear, but we do not see ourselves as just a footwear company. We are a studio that creates handcrafted products inspired by Indian culture and art – from India to the rest of the world.
We identify as a label that stands by the value of creating and promoting handcrafted techniques and products – inspired by India but designed for the world.
We identify as India’s Handcrafted Rebellion.
Journey of a Banjaaran Studio
Seven years ago, I wandered through the lanes of Old Delhi with a sketch of a shoe in my hand, looking for a leather worker who could turn it into something real. I watched in awe as that sketch came to life in the hands of a 55-year-old shoe artisan, and in that moment I understood the quiet joy of product design and the thrill of seeing an idea become a tangible object.
Over time, teaching illustration, working with artisan communities and designing with limited resources all shaped how I look at design: respectful of the hand that makes, conscious of waste, and obsessed with process. Those experiences became the foundation of what Banjaaran Studio stands for today.
For years, I created shoes on request while teaching across different cities. In 2019, I reached a point where I could no longer keep Banjaaran Studio as a side project. Our first full-fledged collection, Mad Mob, was born from a raw, personal phase of my life and went on to become one of our most loved collections. It confirmed what I wanted Banjaaran Studio to be — a space where products are expressive, emotionally honest and crafted to be lived in.
Today, Banjaaran Studio is growing beyond footwear into a wider world of handcrafted products, but my compass remains the same: keep the craft and the artisan at the centre, design with intention, and create pieces that feel like wearable and livable art — with a little rebellion in every detail.
– Mehandee Meera Dureja
Founder & Creative Director, Banjaaran Studio
The Hands Behind Banjaaran Studio
The Hands Behind Banjaaran Studio
Before there is a product at Banjaaran Studio, there is always a pair of hands.
Hands that measure without looking at the tape, that can feel the thickness of leather or fabric and know if it will sit right, that have repeated the same motion thousands of times and somehow still treat every piece as if it were the first.
The karigars you see here are not an extension of a factory line. They are the heart of Banjaaran Studio. Many of them come from families where craft has been a way of life for generations. Some grew up around workshops and tools, others learnt later in life, but all of them carry a memory of someone who first taught them how to cut, stitch, mould or finish. Our studio is where those memories continue, in a new form.
We choose to work in small, human-scale teams so that every product can be traced back to real people and real conversations. Patterns are argued over at cutting tables, fits are discussed over tea, and finishings are refined by touch and instinct as much as by measurement. This slower way of working is not always the easiest path, but it is the only one that feels honest to what Banjaaran Studio wants to stand for.
In a world that often hides how things are made, we want our process to stay visible. When you hold a Banjaaran Studio product, you are also holding hours of focus, decades of experience and a community that has chosen to stay with its craft despite all the pressures to move away from it. That is why comfort, durability and detail matter so much to us — they are our way of respecting the people who make, as much as the people who use, our products.
This section is our small tribute to them.
If you would like to see where your products are born and meet the people who make them, step inside our production floor.
For us the craftsmanship of making products sits at the intersection of art and design.
— Banjaaran Studio
