Supplier Artisan Furniture has launched in the US market, and believes it is the first to offer a marketplace platform for retailers that is dedicated to sustainably made Indian furniture.
Artisan, headquartered in London, England, has launched a website solely for the US market, offering furniture retailers a "one-stop solution for stocking handmade Indian furniture, that is now in high demand due to post-pandemic decoupling from China", shipping out of the company’s New Jersey warehouse or direct from India.
Artisan’s CEO Amit Basu, who is currently undertaking a Goldman Sachs mentoring scheme, says: “We believe the US market is crying out for the type of distinctive, handcrafted items we are able to source – direct from the workshops of Indian artisans. Retailers will be able to offer their consumers something that is genuinely different, and not simply rolled off an anonymous production line.
“We have built a business based around a philosophy of supporting an ecosystem of hundreds of skilled furniture makers in Jaipur in India, a region known for high-quality furnituremaking. Our launch in the US comes after months of preparation and sourcing the right products for the American market.”
Artisan Furniture already has customers like TJX Companies and Wayfair on board, but it is targeting the many independent/online furniture retailers across the US that are looking for "fast and practical solutions such as free delivery to all 50 states, no minimum order by value or volume, and no set-up fee".
Amit founded Artisan Furniture in 1995. “As a socially responsible enterprise – well before CSR was fashionable – we were focused on looking after our artisans to ensure their unique skills were kept alive and in demand around the world," he says. "We also ensure that all our products come from sustainable, commercially planted woods like mango and acacia, and are responsible-forestry certified.”
