The ancient heritage of Indian handicraft is rich with sensual colors and materials, with designs boasting a high level of craftsmanship. Today, it represents the second largest employment sector in India, capturing the talents of over 23 million craftspeople. However, there are facets of the sector that are deeply concerning. Despite the richly personal nature of their “good goods”, daily wages are between $2 and $3, hardly enough to support a reasonable standard of living. Furthermore, artisans often enlist the help of their children, at the expense of education, to support their families.

Oyeindia offers an innovative framework to create a fair trade online marketplace with the goal of becoming the ultimate global destination to buy Indian Handicraft. This marketplace does not exist today because artisans face four major barriers to successfully selling to the global market:

1. A lack of technological access or capability to set up an online store
2. A lack of financial capital to buy premium raw materials and build inventory
3. An inability to ship products to international customers
4. A lack of insight into the latest fashion and design trends in global markets

These four barriers define the pillars in OyeIndia’s innovative approach to Indian Handicraft.