Get a taste for Southern India with the new Mahika homewares SS14 collection

LONDON, April 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Bring the colour and spice of India to your home this Spring with the new homewares collection from Mahika. Featuring a range of eco-friendly, hand-woven baskets, Mahika's Spring/Summer 2014 pieces are perfect for storage or display around the home.

Social enterprise Mahika works with non-profit organisation The M. Rm. Rm Cultural Foundation in Chettinad, Southern India, to source some of the finest traditional handmade pieces while helping local craftspeople, particularly women, retain a sustainable and fair income.

The Mahika Living Range includes 21 pieces - small storage boxes from £5 to larger baskets for £20. Accompanying ranges include the Mahika Favours Range, featuring hand-woven wine cases and 'wedding favour' pouches; and the Mahika Urban Range, newspaper baskets made from recycled paper by women survivors of the 2004 tsunami.* As the pieces are handmade, there may be slight colour and size variations.

Mahika founder Poornima Nair, explains, "I love sourcing Indian arts and crafts and selecting exquisite homewares to bring to the UK market. The artistry found in crafts from Southern India and Sri Lankais full of vibrancy and joy - perfect for brightening up the home this Spring and Summer. Some of my favourites this seasoninclude the bold and colourful Mayra storage boxes which are great for tidying away toys and household bits and bobs; the prettily adorned Maya storage boxes are a lovely way to stash jewellery; and the flamboyant Megha oval baskets make stunning fruit bowls."

Driven by a great eye for design, love of colour, and passion for ethical and social enterprise, founder and creative director Poornima Nair established Mahika, named after her daughter, in 2011 and has exhibited at London's Southbank Centre and Barbican Centre alongside a number of smaller fairs and markets. Plans for 2014 include expanding the online store and increasing the number of stockists. Baskets are currently available to buy online at http://www.mahika.co.uk and at The Travelling Souk (http://www.thetravellingsouk.com)

Product dimensions: 

    MAYA                                 MEGHA
                                                            12.5" x 8.5" x 5"
    Rect Box Large  8" x 5" x 4.5" (H)   Oval Basket Large  (H)
                                                            11.5" x 7.5" x 4"
    Rect Box Medium 7.5" x 4.5" x 4" (H) Oval Basket Medium (H)
                                                            10" x 6" x 3.5"
    Rect Box Small  7" x 4" x 3.5" (H)   Oval Basket Small  (H)
    MAYRA                                MEHER
    SBSO Large      7" x 7" x 3.5" (H)   Round Box Large    6" x 6" x 4" (H)
                                                            5.5" x 5.5" x 3.52
    SBSO Medium     6" x 6" x 3" (H)     Round Box Medium   (H)
                    5.5" x 5.5" 2.75"                       4.75" x 4.75" x 3"
    SBSO Small      (H)                  Round Box Small    (H)

*Mahika partners include: 

• Eco Oiko, working with The ZOA Refugee care, an international organisation dedicated to supporting refugees and internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka. The women survivors of the 2004 tsunami use recycled paper to make the newspaper baskets in the Urban Range.
• The M. Rm. Rm. Cultural Foundation, a non-profit organisation that supports the revival of rural crafts, textiles and architecture that are fast disappearing. The Foundation helps traditional crafts people, especially women, to adapt them to change and regain their place in the economic mainstream of the country. Their range comes from Chettinad, a town in Southern India famous for its baskets or 'Koodais'.

About Mahika: 

Mahika is a social enterprise passionate about bringing high quality, exquisite home and gift accessories from around the world that are produced ethically and sustainably using locally available materials. Mahika takes great pride in promoting the works of talented artisans and designers, and seeking supplier partnerships that share a concern for social responsibility and the environment. Mahika products are sustainable using locally sourced natural raw materials, minimising the consumption of non-renewables and having a responsible production process. Mahika aims to treat their partners with respect, fairness and integrity at all times. For full details visit http://www.mahika.co.uk.

For further information, including product images and pictures of Mahika's partner craftspeople at work in India, please contact Poornima Nair / Phone : +44-(0)7948980664 / e-mail [email protected]