Art is often considered a pursuit confined to the canvas. It is seldom seen as an intrinsic element of everyday life. A dynamic husband and wife duo Gagan Jain and Neeti Jain with their design company Sharvian Art and Fashion Pvt. Ltd. and brand Rang Rage have made it their mission to bring art to everyday life. Neeti, the Creative Head and Gagan, the Director of Rang Rage believe life itself is a canvas for art.

When the duo lived in Oman, where Gagan was posted for work, Neeti spent some of her time painting. Once she painted a pair of jeans that Gagan wore that got a lot of attention and admiration in Paris – the fashion capital of the world. That was when the idea for Rang Rage was conceived. After some time and research, they set up shop in Indore, employing a network of gifted housewives and artisans to craft their goods. Rang Rage is all about reimagining traditional & modern art on home decor items and apparels while at the same time enabling housewives & artisans to express themselves and monetise their talent.

In conversation with GlobalLinker (GL), Gagan Jain (GJ) and Neeti Jain (NJ) share their journey, challenges they faced, milestones and future vision for their enterprise. Watch this video to know more about the journey of these entrepreneurs. 

GL: Tell us about your business.

GJ: Rang is colour. We want to infuse art in everyday life and make it not only affordable but also usable. In addition, we want each of our products to tell an inspiring tale. We work with artisans and create products in home decor, fashion and accessories. All these products are individually hand painted. We make hand painted wall clocks, apparels, denims and shoes.

NJ: Rang Rage is a first generation enterprise. I am an artist myself. Earlier we were residing in Oman where Gagan was working and I wasn’t allowed to work on the visa we had. I used to keep myself busy by painting. I wanted to move beyond painting on canvas. That’s why I started painting on clothes and home decor objects. I believe that art is everywhere.

I once painted his jeans which he wore at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Everyone admired the painted denims - that too in the fashion capital of the world! We realised that there was real potential in this idea of hand painted goods. We did some research and realised that it would be possible to start a venture by collaborating with artists in India.

GJ: For long, art has been considered an intellectual pursuit. But the truth is that it is there for everyone, everyday. We wondered if we could bring art to life on day to day objects. Art can be on your shoes or jeans. We have restricted it to canvases. That’s why it stopped growing. We think with Rang Rage, we can bring our art to a global level and bring global art forms to Indian homes.

GL: What are the challenges you have faced in establishing your business?

GJ: Running an enterprise is ‘empowering’. You are doing something no one is doing. But then you make mistakes as well as there is no act to follow that would make the going easier and more predictable. With us, everyone doubted whether our business would be scalable.

There is an example of a great challenge that we look back on with humility. There was a lady who wanted to work for us but she was not allowed to leave the house. We had to go to her house all the time to deliver the art pieces. The family did not welcome us. It was considered rebellion by her family and we were supporting it. But this lady persisted and fought tradition and eventually her husband started bringing her to our office. She joined us for full time work. That was a great day for us. It gave us the courage to continue on our chosen path. It was very inspiring.

NJ: Sometimes, when we were thinking of moving back to Oman where life was simpler, little things happened like people came along and appreciated our work and our effort. This made us more committed to what we were doing.

GL: What is the USP of your business?

NJ: The USP of our business is art. All our products are art and we are bringing that to everyday life.

GJ: You won’t find our kind of product anywhere. We bring so much colour to life. The product itself becomes a USP. Whenever you buy handicrafts, you get factory-made, power-loom products sold as hand crafted products. We have the certification of Craft Mark which validates the authenticity of our product. The Craft Mark is the Government of India’s recognition for products that are hand crafted.

GL: What are some of the milestones of your business?

NJ: When we started we were in Muscat and we always thought we would sell outside India. Our products are sold in the Dubai and Canadian markets and there is constant demand. We have a network of 200 or more housewives. Art was not a major source of employability especially in Tier 3, Tier 4 towns. We are changing that and that is a source of pride. Our work is also sold in Mumbai and Bangalore. Our products are largely appreciated in metro cities.

GJ: With most artistic products there comes a big price tag. Our products are affordable. Anybody who wants to bring colour into their lives is a customer. Young people are a target market as they are fashion conscious and always looking out for artistic designs.

GL: What role do you feel GlobalLinker plays in connecting and assisting SMEs?

GJ: Since we are an SME from a Tier 2 city, we don’t get the opportunity to network with businesses beyond our geography. GlobalLinker helps us expand our business network. We can avail of many special offers on GlobalLinker. We can also get a lot of knowledge from the portal. Knowledge and networking can help us in a big way.

GL: What is your big business dream?

GJ: The next step is customisation and individuating our products. For example, if you are looking for a giant clock that is 8 feet tall, all you have to do is give us a call and share with us a photograph of your room and we will make a clock customised for your home. Wall decor, paintings and clocks will be made customised to your living space. For this initiative, we will tie up with interior designers, architects and temples. We will make a big play for wherever there is need for bespoke unique pieces.

GL: What is your message to aspiring entrepreneurs?

GJ: It’s simple. You will see a lot more bad days than good days. You have no option but to keep going. So just keep going.

Disclaimer: This article is based solely on the inputs shared by the featured member. GlobalLinker does not necessarily endorse the views, opinions & facts stated by the member.