Originally reported and written in July 2022, this story has been republished as part of our archival content.

After graduating in interior design, Shipa Patel was visiting her village in Gujarat, and was on the lookout for a creative activity. “I have always loved anything handmade, which has a raw feeling,” she tells The Better India.

In Deesa, a small village near her hometown, she came across artisans practising hand block art printing, and was fascinated by the process. “It was like love at first sight for me. I fell in love with the raw texture of the wooden blocks and the technique.” She started designing hand block clothes for herself as a hobby, falling in love with the entire process.

In 2013, she decided to launch the sustainable clothing brand Chhapa — the Gujarati word for imprint or stamp — with a focus on reviving and popularising hand block printing.

Today, with an online store that ships worldwide - to countries like Singapore, US, UAE , and more - and a retail store in Ahmedabad, the brand clocks in an annual revenue of close to Rs 1.5 crore, with 25 per cent of their earnings going to the roughly 25 artisans they employ.

Sustainability & helping artisans

“Sustainability is at the core of what we do,” says co-founder Hardik Patel, Shipa’s husband, who handles business development and IT for the company.

Chhapa works with........

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