Recycling with flair
Shazla Ghaffoor Hussain, founder of Craftshowk, makes beautiful things out of the ‘waste’ you would normally discard without a second thought.
Pix by M.A Pushpakumara
The little company which has their own stall at The Good Food Market in Rajagiriya every Thursday creates everything from table décor to jewellery using the most unlikely materials. “Our tagline being, ‘Recycle your waste. Reuse with taste,’ it surprises us to see the attitude of certain people to the word ‘waste’” , says Shazla. “There is a wrong misconception that it’s ‘garbage’. This needs to change. Beauty needn’t be expensive, it can come from such simple things.”
Shazla first decided to start her own business when she began to spend more time at home taking care of her mischievous toddler. “Although I had been a teacher, the daughter of a teacher and freelance journalist, I had always wanted to venture into my own business. I never liked the idea of working under someone,” says the one time teacher of English Literature, explaining “I relished the freedom to do things my way, thus, Craftshowk was born, where beauty was created from simplicity – the simple and everyday things around us which usually go waste.” They began selling their products in February this year. Over the last few months, Shazla has become a connoisseur of waste, collecting all sorts of things like old beads, pins, magazines, straw, buttons and even spoons.
She runs her business in partnership with her brother, Ahamed Shameel Ghaffoor and her husband Jaheer Hussain Khan Mohamed, both of whom are involved in designing the products, with her husband helping with sourcing whatever additional things they need. Together, the trio feel they’re not doing just a business but a service as well. “We realized that if everyone did their little bit, the environment would be a cleaner and healthier place to live in.” (They’re taking this concept to their kids’ craft workshops for ages 6-12, which they hope to conduct at MILK on Barnes Place, in the near future.)
Almost every item is handmade except for a very few like the decorative sea shells which are upcycled, promises Shazla, “Unlike most other businesses which pick and choose from somewhere and sell products at a higher price, we at Craftshowk strive to create our own and keep our unique identity by recycling and upcycling…”
At the Good Market
Sources of inspiration are everywhere – from what they see on the internet, to books and magazines. Customer requests have also fuelled the creation of new products, says Shazla pointing out the tribal necklaces that were made when customers loved the rings they bought. “The necklaces were sold out on the first day they were introduced,” she says. Among their other products are the Natural Collection which feature leaf based key tags, leaf origami and pine cone earrings.
There are also funky wire wrapped rings/necklaces, spice necklaces, adjustable bracelets, handmade cards, twine lanterns, wall decorations, table decorations and origami, as well as paper bead cards. Despite their simplicity, teaching themselves how to make these crafts hasn’t always come easy. “One of the most important skills in making handicrafts is patience, because each piece is handmade, and this applies especially when you have to deal with orders,” says Shazla. “My brother whose specialty is origami had to master the Japanese art of precise paper folding to produce the beautiful 3D pieces.”
The trio introduce something new every week at the Good Market but say that they’re open to orders and willing to customise decorations as well as other products to suit the needs of individual customers. Their prices are reasonable, ranging from Rs.100 for a ring to Rs.150 – 200 for a necklace.
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