BEHIND THE BRAND
Hello and welcome!
I am Kausar (pronounced Co-Sir) & I am the face ( &hands) behind the brand Indigo Artisans. I quietly create monumental books & memory keepers of all kinds from my tiny studio in Leicester.
In a world that's increasingly moving too fast, I slowly & mindfully make books, journals & small leather goods to elevate your creativity & help you capture moments & preserve memories. I invite you too to pause ,slow down & put ink to paper in handbound books that are crafted to last a lifetime.
MY BACKGROUND
Formally trained with a BA Hons in Textiles & Fashion, I spent 16 years working in the fashion industry as a designer, starting off in formal tailoring & casual outerwear, then ending up specialising in Denim. I absolutely cherish the privilege & opportunities I’ve had throughout my career & the epic amount of travelling I did as part of the job. From Paris to Berlin, Tokyo to Hong Kong & Shanghai to Sri Lanka & beyond, I’ve travelled the globe & had the opportunity to experience many unforgettable moments.
I worked hard & fast. Got burnt out, then swapped this incredible career as a jet setting, globe-trotting fashion designer with a more mindful career working with leather & practising the mindful art of bookbinding.
My journey into bookbinding has been an organic one. Indigo Artisans was borne after a pivotal moment in my life where my globe trotting, fast paced lifestyle crashed as a loved one, my sister in law Mariam, was diagnosed with cancer. I had an epiphany & realised that I no longer wanted a lifestyle that was draining me of energy & wasn't sustainable. I made the huge decision to leave my job & take a career break. I started my year of rest & recharge after leaving the fashion industry by exploring all the creative avenues that sparked some magic in me. I started off exploring Indigo & denim because that was the language I had spoken for many years. This evolved into using vintage Levi's & pre-loved denim to craft many things from teddy bears & homewares to handbound books. It was the books that people started loving & it was books that I got me hooked too.
There’s something magical I find about books & journals. The very 1st journal I had was one that I took with me on my very 1st trip out of the UK & away from home at the tender age of 19 as an exchange student to Helsinki, Finland & I still to this day treasure it & the incredible journey I recorded there.
The 1st journal I ever made as Indigo Artisans was gifted to Mariam, to offer her a special place to hold her heart.
Mariam didn’t make it past year 3 of her fight with cancer, but she was my cheerleader & there when I laid the foundations of my micro business which was so different to what it's evolved into today.
I've been binding books for over a decade now & you have joined me at another pivotal moment where I am exploring the intersections of designer bookbinding, fine binding, manuscript art and calligraphy ( Arabic calligraphy in the Andalusian Magrebi style in particular). I love the traditional arts, leathercraft, old manuscripts & the ways of making that have almost been lost. I am a student for life & a student of the traditional arts, continually refining my book binding skills & learning from master binders as well as being a student of Arabic Calligraphy & learning from a master in the Magrebi Andalusi script. Hoping I get to share more of this journey & creative evolution soon and excited about how it will unfold….
With a heritage that feels like a mish mash of cultures, I am a 3rd culture child which at this later stage in life is exciting to explore. African born, of Indian Heritage, I grew up and was raised in England. I hope I can weave in the threads of all of my roots and the crafts of my heritage & culture into the books that I make.
The essence of truly hand made and hand crafted is at the core of my work. I make each and every item myself without the use of any machinery, no sewing machines, just a few hand tools, a needle and thread and my 2 hands, using traditional artisan methods of bookbinding and leatherwork. My handmade books, journals and covers are little works of art that are both functional and durable and will withstand the test of time so you can fill them to your heart's content and really let them travel with you through your life's journey.
Each Indigo Artisans item is handcrafted, one piece at a time, slowly and mindfully with care, attention to detail and love, to be filled by others with the things they love. By travellers, artists, writers, chefs…… to record beautiful adventures, art, lasting memories and legacies.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and I hope you'll join me on the adventure:)
X
Kausar