The tastefully done décor that greets as you enter the Jain residence in Bangalore sends a strong message that the home maker has a flair for creativity. She welcomes me in with her radiant smile that further adds to the warmth of the ambience. Meet talented designer, Kavita Jain, who is an alumnus of NIFT, Bangalore and the face behind Needle Doodle. Sharing our obsession with bags, we hit it off from the word go!
With an USHA sewing machine, colorful fabrics, carefully chosen embellishments and yes, needles, she creates visually stunning bags. Of course, like all great success stories in the making, she never envisioned she would make bags one day. She has dabbled in candle making, apparel, other accessories and after a brief stint in the UK, returned to Bangalore. “Bags I made for myself received appreciation wherever I carried them and that’s when my husband suggested I embark on an exercise to create 100 bags and track market response”, she says recollecting the trigger to her foray into this field. Needless to say, response to such a versatile collection could be anything but lukewarm. But very interestingly, she reveals in her FB page, “My addiction for bags started from when I made this small bag pack for my little Krishna to carry his flute who loses his flute every now and then here and there.” I do not know about you, but I haven’t quite seen anything like this before!
She has quite a variety up her sleeve – totes, laptop bags, watch cases, piggy banks made of felt, children’s backpacks and even shoe bags! She uses mostly cotton – her favorite fabric – jute and sometimes, synthetic leather. She is not very fond of using animal leather due to the environmental consideration. The highlight is that she is a one-woman army, occasionally employing her husband, domestic help, mother and even her endearing three-and-a-half year old twins, who are always excited to pitch in with their 2-cents!
Kavita patiently explains to me the little stories behind each of the bags she has made for her upcoming exhibition in Delhi Public School, Kanakpura Road, this coming weekend (14-15 Dec). In fact, her passion is unabating till the last of the 30-or-so bags we saw. Her forte, apart from thinking “outside the box” as they say, is also the attention she pays to detail. She would be glad to make minor customizations as you prefer. And let me clarify: all her bags are affordably priced below INR 1,000! I proudly bring to BagsLounge readers these eco-friendly bags in sprightly colors and refreshing silhouettes.
Fabric Totes
Kavita plays around her fabrics with finesse – she tells me very matter-of-factly that she burnt the red fabric in the first bag below to create that crooked line. I could only stare and tell her maybe it’s an ordinary task in a NIFTian’s day to burn fabric and create something magical, but for those of us sans such a background, it’s pure genius! Or take the recycled bag whose colourful parts, including the handles, are nothing but thousands of tiny leftover pieces of cloth from other creations, secured by a film of plastic over them. She has sewed them down at strategic places inside the plastic so that they do not bundle up in a corner due to gravity or motion.
Watch Cases (~INR 299)
Have you ever struggled to carry more than a single watch during travel? Well, I have and I fully appreciate this utilitarian case. Carry your time pieces safely and without fear of them scratching the dial glass of one another. These can certainly double up as jewellery cases or makeup cases, or at least to carry makeup brushes.
Children’s Backpacks (~INR 499)
Backpacks with kiddy patterns so cute, I couldn’t help but take one for my son – and boy, he was ecstatic! Again, the colors and patterns are literally endless.
Shoe Bags (~INR 250)
There’s a multi-billion-dollar footwear market out there – but when it comes to packing shoes, more often than not, they are unceremoniously shoved into plastic covers. Our lady here gives shoes their perfect storage match – drawstring bags with miniature shoes/chappals at the end of the strings. Now you know what I mean when I say she pays attention to details! She also makes subtle differences between those for gentlemen and ladies using color.
Laundry Bag/Swimwear Pouch (~INR 499)
We are forbidden to wash dirty linen in public, but can surely carry them in these pouches specifically designed for this purpose! Their insides are lined with plastic; carrying wet clothes is now a breeze.
She has myriad other knick-knacks like hair accessories for little girls, candies packaged beautifully in butterfly-shaped packs, laptop bags, toy-storage bags – phew, I might run out of writing space :)! To discover more, do check out Needle Doodle on Facebook. Kavita is one talent powerhouse to watch out for!
Just Amazing