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The Malachite Casket
Crown The Brown : The Malachite Casket. We love embracing our culture and celebrating one another in the traditional way. There is nothing better than serving some desi style in a Saree, but what about hand painted sarees? That’s right! Twin sisters, Auntora Mehrukh Azad and Anannya Mehpar Azad decided to do something unique and add a creative twist on ethnic wear. These two creative individuals birthed the Malachite Casket based in Bangladesh, showcasing beautiful hand painted sarees for all! When we heard about this, we certainly had to find out more! Here is what they shared with us!
The Malachite Casket! Unique and certainly creative. We want to know the creator behind the art! Tell us more about yourself.
We are Auntora Mehrukh Azad and Anannya Mehpar Azad, twin sisters and co owner founder artists of the malachite casket, we both completed our BFA from faculty of Fine Arts University of Dhaka although our major was different. since childhood painting has been our love and passion.
How did the name Malachite Casket come about?
Apart from painting our second most favourite thing has been reading. The name Malachite Casket came from the same love of book reading. Our favourite Russian fairy tale book with the same name. When we were naming our business the first thing came into our mind was this.
Just like the mysterious enchanting malachite box from the story we wanted our products to be just as spellbinding as the malachite casket. How one glimpse of its deep hypnotizing shades of green, its strong character awakens the desire felt for the stone throughout centuries, we want our pieces to be just as loved and cherished.
You could basically call yourself a business women, designer and artist! A triple thread indeed! At what age did you start painting?
We started painting from a very early age, literally even before we learnt to write. We would always love to name ourselves as painters first, maybe even artists. Artist is a heavy word and we still have a long way to go.Then designer plus Entrepreneur. We always felt so grateful that we have made a way out of our passion into profession.
How did the idea of hand painted clothing come about?
My mother used to have a very old hand painted Dhakai muslin long back which was so beautiful and delicate. hand painted muslins have been pretty common in Bangladesh. The idea of our very own venture came out when we were looking for painted sarees in stores but we were not much impressed by the work and then we decided why not we paint them ourselves. And after posting few photos on few groups we got a overwhelming response, we decided to take it seriously and started our venture.
You showcase some amazing South Asian attire in the most unique art form, what has been some of the feedback you have received regarding your craft?
One of our favourite parts is getting feedback pictures from our clients draping our saree/attires. It is wonderful to see our creation being loved and adored all around the globe. Recently we have started taking custom bridal attire requests .We feel so honored that our clients trust and love our work that much!
How long does it usually take to create one hand painted piece and can you explain the procedure to our readers?
All of our products are designed and developed in our studio by ourselves. From the initial sketch to prototype. After initial sketch the paining process can be time consuming, depending on the design some may takes two weeks or even longer.
What do you love the most about creating such unique articles of clothing?
The thing that we love most about our work is the uniqueness of each self. As we paint them ourselves unlike printed design our pieces are always unique and it always will be.
You surely inspire many with your talent but who inspires you and why?
Our mother. She’s not a professional artist or designer, she’s a homemaker but since our childhood we always have watched her making paintings, painted home decors, embroidered quilts etc. the love for hand painted attires we think grew from there.
Any favourite artists or designers that encourage your amazing work? If so, why?
We love Dolce and Gabbana. We love how they blended Art and fashion together. As a painter working with fashion they are a huge inspiration. our favourite artists are is Claude Monet,Van Gogh,Nazlee Laila Monsur.
How do you come up with new and unique designs?
We are always looking for inspirations everywhere. From master painters paintings to favourite designers work, poetry even household objects scenarios basically from anything that is pleasant to the eyes.
What advice do you have for other women that might have a creative talent that can be used in various ways?
We love this quote “find what you love and let it kill you”. not literally but it is so important to find what actually interests you and get completely involved. Don’t just go with the flow or follow what everyone else is doing. Otherwise it will be never your way and also a word for those who are in creative business, always respect other’s work and designs, we are together in this creative field.
Auntora Mehrukh Azad and Anannya Mehpar Azad have certainly inspired us with their beautiful take on art and fashion! Be sure to follow their journey on facebook and instagram @themalachitecasket .
