Reimagining the Artisan Sector
The artisan sector is the second-largest employer in the developing world after agriculture, worth over $32 billion every year according to the Artisan Alliance. Artisan activity creates jobs, increases local incomes, and preserves cultural traditions that in many places are at risk of being lost. Over 65% of artisan activity takes place in developing economies.
The majority of artisans are small producers – often women – working informally which too often means this is an overlooked, undervalued and underfunded economic sector with still untapped potential.
Sprout Enterprise® is a network of social entrepreneurs, artisans and designers creating new business models in the artisan sector to generate economic opportunities for marginalized or underserved communities.
We seek radical change at a systemic level to:
Elevate the value of creative, artisan-based enterprises as drivers of sustainable economic and community development:
Restructure the financing and funding of these enterprises; and
Ensure more equitable and inclusive benefit for all stakeholders.
This project is an evolving collaboration among those who are redesigning business models based on:
Sustainable and ethical business practices
Skills development and training to increase sales and profitability for producers
Revenue or profit sharing with producers
Revitalization, revaluation and representation of traditional crafts and cultural heritage
Shared ownership structures around brand, design and story
We are frustrated by the structural barriers to the growth and expansion of our initiatives — whether lack of appropriate capital and resources; mis-alignment with market demand; unsustainable cost structures; lack of external infrastructure; inequitable business models; or other challenges. These challenges are systemic in nature – and we seek radical change in the sector.
Click to view the recording of our SoCap panel
Entrepreneurs and investors in the artisan sector joined us for the panel::
Kaylene Alvarez, BIDUK
Rashmi Bharti, Avani
Luni Libes, Fledge
Afshan Abbas, Fuchsia Shoes
Neelam Chhiber, Industree Foundation
Hedvig Alexander, Powered By People
Audrey Selian, Artha Impact
Salime Harp Cruces, Studio Xaquixe
Moderated by Nureen Das, The Artisan Gateway and Priya Krishnamoorthy, 200 Million Artisans.
