House of Locals

Hello MUMBAI! We are coming to you. Please do come say Hi at the Sunday soul Sante festival happening at BKC. We are beyond excited for this one 🌻

Designing comfortably in your studio and manipulating your craft for the desired outcome differs significantly from working in the field with basic equipment. Two days before the Pangsu Pass Festival, an international event uniting villagers from Burma and India for cultural exchange, we faced a challenge. Realizing inadequate seating arrangements on the ground and lacking sufficient artisans, we improvised. With basic designs, we utilized leaves from nearby villages to craft umbrella-like structures, creating triangular seating arrangements. We successfully produced several of these structures in just one day. Not a wow design but definitely solved the problem! #houseoflocals #events #festivals #designlife

Made in Assam

At House of Locals, empowering women artisans is woven into the fabric of our brand. Over the last four years, we have focused on uplifting marginalized women in rural communities by providing fair wage employment and skill development opportunities through our sustainability initiatives. 🌼 Our collaboration with local self-help groups (SHGs) equips women with training in traditional handicraft techniques and design education to make lifestyle products from upcycled materials like pine needles, water hyacinth, etc. 🌼 Income generation and financial literacy programs allow the artisans we partner with to enjoy economic self-sufficiency and invest funds into community growth programs like health clinics and schools. 🌼 By celebrating the rich cultural heritage of local art forms from different Indian states, we open global market access for rural women to showcase and monetize their creativity on an international stage. We believe uplifting women help everyone rise. Our artisan partners infuse each product with skill, style and smiles that resonate across our customer community. We firmly believe ethical partnerships from mountain to marketplace can transform communities. Empowering women to unlock their full potential is not only about providing equal opportunities - it's about creating lasting systemic change at societal levels. And this is just the beginning of our story. We welcome you to join our tribe of change-makers. #women #empowerment #changemakers #womeninbusiness

Sustainability has always been a core value at House of Locals. "When we started experimenting with natural materials from the local forests and villages four years ago, we never imagined it would grow into a sustainable business empowering over 50 artisan families today," says our Founder Swagata Gautam. Our designers collaborate closely with self-help groups to reimagine what ‘waste’ materials like pine needles can become in skilled hands. "We upcycle pine needles—which blanket the hillside forests—into handwoven baskets, creating income for women artisans while tackling deforestation," explains Swagata. By sustainability, we mean the whole supply chain process—from materials to packaging: 🌱 Sourcing: We use abundant natural materials like pine needles, water hyacinth, and bamboo for low impact on the Earth. Most of our materials are considered as waste. 🌿 Production: Our artisan partners handcraft each product locally with their age-old techniques and minimal energy usage. ♻️ Packaging: We avoid fancy wrappers so customers receive gifts wrapped in reusable materials. Ultimately, everything House of Locals creates spreads joy while respecting the environment—and every purchase directly supports the hardworking hands crafting beautiful things. Our sustainable mission? Honoring India's nature, creativity, and people for generations to come.