#IWD2020

To commemorate International Women's Day 2020 we're highlighting the incredible work of Anya, one of our amazing artisans.

Anya was born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India to a family of artisans. She grew up watching her father working with gemstones. He used to create all sorts of designs and used colourful beads and gems to create the most exquisite pieces, specifically beautiful necklaces. It was through watching her father work that she fell in love with the art of crafting bespoke items.

Having taken some classes in jewellery design early on, Anya was unfortunately obliged to put a stop to her aspirations and put her efforts into raising her young children. In regions like Rajasthan, there is still very strong societal pressure on young women to abandon any aspirations of career and business in order to prioritise the raising of children. During this time, she worked part-time as a schoolteacher, which she also enjoyed as the opportunity to work with children provided much enjoyment and adventure, but she never lost the love for designing and creating art.

“I taught for ten years with lots of fun and enthusiasm as it was always a new day of adventure with kids, but the drive to possess my own design studio kept me inquisitive towards my passion.”

Once the children were all grown up however, Anya had the opportunity to dive back into the world of craft, and jump she did. She joined a local co-operative of workers in Jaipur, who worked alongside each other to support one another in their various crafts. Anya has since worked with a small team of artisans to create and develop her business, designing and forging unique textile and jewellery pieces which are sold in India and abroad.

Anya’s story inspires us to put the utmost effort into the work we do, which in turn allows amazing individuals like her to support the local communities around the world. We are grateful to be able to work with someone who possesses her drive and passion for the craft that she dedicates herself to. She isn’t alone in this, and we are always thankful that all our artisans share her values and passion for their crafts.

We are proud to be able to support Anya in the work that she does, in the same way that we are proud to support all our other fantastic artisans. We like to think that supporting and empowering women forms an integral part of Harfi’s ethos, and we’d like to thank you all for allowing us to continue to do what we love to do.

View all of Anya's designs here

Click here to find out more about our other artisans

Click here to find out more about the #IWD2020 campaign