Meet The Fashion Inspired Entrepreneur Who Wants To Connect Her Ethnic Roots In Her Handcrafted Products

Baishali ThapaMarch 23, 2022

Born out of love for art design and culture, and to revolutionize her fashion business, Coretta Sangma started Nostalgia JakmaBaku in her hometown Tura Meghalaya.

“My heart lies in art design and culture which aligns with Mother Nature. My main aim of starting Nostalgia JakmaBaku is to help the artisan community by creating market space by introducing designs to make commercially viable products with less or no negative impact on the planet.” Coretta Sangma

The beginning

Coretta pursued her degree in designing from NIFT and has also worked in different areas of fashion. Coretta started her business to bring a change in the fashion business and transform it into an eco-responsible and ethical industry.

“Through my work, I love to share stories, so my business is nothing but a vessel or a voice of my artisans who creates masterpieces. I work with weavers and craftsmen especially from Garo hills to create sustainable products.” she elaborated

Moving forward with challenges

It took a while for Coretta to mobilize the weavers and artisans due to the lack of a marketplace. This also made it difficult for her to sell her products.

“To restructure, train and motivate my workers, it did take us some time. Besides, our products are handcrafted and ethically made and so the production rate is slow as well.” 

Moving forward with her journey, Coretta said,

“We have also launched our very own offline store ‘Nostalgiaboutiquecafe’ which provides space for people to experience artisanal creations. Besides that most of the pieces used for furnishing is upclyed and we provide a space for our guest to consign their pre-loved pieces”

She further wants to expand her team, launch her brand and invest more in digital marketing. Through her startup, she also wishes to empower more women artisans and encourage them for a sustainable livelihood.

Summing up her thoughts about her startup, Coretta said

“I’m glad through my small space I’m being able to evoke emotions and stir conversations about sustainability and also about connecting back to our roots”