Ikai Asai: Narrating artisanal tales through hospitality
/The brand’s vision is to create a community for craftsmen, designers and the artist while keeping hospitality as a catalyst.
Ikai Asai launched in 2019, just a few months before the lockdown hit in India. Since then, the artisanal homeware brand has worked with luxury hotels such as Raffles in Udaipur, Leela in Jaipur, Fairmont in Jaipur and a few Marriott properties across the country.
The company is currently in talks with boutique heritage properties across the country including Postcard Hotel at Gir, Pugdundee Resorts and Aramness Resorts. The launch at Maison Et Objet in Paris and then the presence at London Craft Week also resulted in some international tie-ups. Tablewares are also present at restaurants such as Mai Bao in Delhi, India Accent at Lodhi Hotel, GAA in Bangkok and will be soon be seen at Jamun and Olive Bar & Kitchen in Goa, later this year.
Spearheaded by CEO Kanupriya Verma, Ikai Asai first launched at Maison Et Objet, Paris in January 2020, with its offering including a range of soulful and small-batch products to rediscover local craftsmanship and the artisanal industry.
Ananya Birla founded CuroCarte- a website that curated and sold over 35 rare local crafts from 12+ countries along with Verma in 2016. As they delved deeper into the market- an inclination arose to follow a different route. A route closer to home, a route that is found in an aesthetic built around the Indian artisan. The conception of Ikai Asai hence began in mid-2018 and it was introduced two years later with a distinctive core.
“Currently our plans for Bespoke Gifting sets are on track, and we are also looking to host retail pop-ups & displays at hotels and restaurant spaces in the future. We are excited for all that’s to come, but given the current situation, we are planning a day at a time,” Verma started with, in an interaction with ET HospitalityWorld.
Overall, there has been more of a conscious effort towards recognizing and incorporating local crafts, especially as 'vocal for local' gains more support today, hotels and restaurants are looking to give their guests a curated experience.
New age restaurants especially are experimenting with Indian regional cuisine trying to create a contemporary experience for the urban consumers. Smaller volumes, bespoke customization requests and budget cuts have contributed to this as well.
