Jaipur Collective Uses Palace for Pop-Ups
The PDKF Collective, led by Gauravi Kumari, transforms Jaipur’s City Palace into a pop-up platform for women artisans. The initiative combines a heritage venue with training on pricing, presentation, and storytelling to help vendors command premium prices.
- The pop-up has shown significant growth, expanding from an initial 30 artisans to more than 70 women from over 20 states in its second edition, showcasing more than 40 distinct craft forms. - The initiative is an extension of the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation (PDKF), which was established in 2013 by Princess Diya Kumari with a broader mission of empowering women through various programs in skill-building, education, and health. - A key objective of the collective is to help artisans transition into "craft-preneurs," enabling them to manage their own marketing and business operations rather than just being creators. - Beyond the pop-up, the foundation operates The PDKF Store, a separate retail initiative co-designed by Gauravi Kumari and French designer Claire Deroo, which translates traditional crafts into modern designs for a global audience. - This model directly addresses common challenges for Rajasthani artisans, such as exploitation by middlemen, limited access to larger markets, and a lack of skills in modern branding and marketing. - The foundation's wider work includes "Project Pragati," which focuses on economic empowerment through heritage crafts, and "Project Shakti," which provides free, certified courses in various skills to create equal opportunities for women. - The event includes not only a marketplace but also panel discussions and workshops, providing a platform for artisans to network and gain knowledge on topics like blending business with craft. - This initiative is part of a larger trend of private and corporate support for artisans, with organizations like the BMW India Foundation also launching programs in 2025 to provide structured skilling and market access to traditional artists.
