The story of Kavadea: The birth of an idea

The Story of Kavadea: A Journey of Art, Legacy, and Revival

Every great idea begins with a story. For me, it started as a childhood dream—to be an artist, to create, to build a world of my own. I imagined opening an art gallery, where every piece spoke of emotions, history, and culture. But soon, reality struck. The world wasn’t kind to artists. I heard stories of starving painters, struggling creators, and fading traditions. And so, like many dreamers, I searched for a path where creativity could thrive without the fear of survival.

I thought architecture could be the answer—art with financial security. But life had other plans. I enrolled in interior design at Vivekananda Global University, only to realize that the rigid curriculum and uninspiring teaching drained the creativity out of it. That’s when I found myself wandering into fashion design classes. Here, imagination had no boundaries. You could paint your thoughts, sculpt your vision into something tangible. Without hesitation, I changed my course. It felt right. It felt like home.

Then came the moment that changed everything.

During a project on Indian crafts, I stumbled upon Kavad art—a storytelling tradition from Rajasthan—while browsing an online government craft repository. It was a wooden box, an entire universe of gods, myths, and forgotten legends, opening up to reveal a world within. It was once a traveling temple, carried by storytellers from village to village. But when I visited a small village in Chittorgarh, where this craft originated, I was shocked. No one knew about Kavad or the artisans who made it. Their own heritage had become a ghost of the past.

Finally, I found him—the last remaining artisan who still painted these stories. But his hands would be the last to do so unless something changed. The realization hit me like a storm: How many more such crafts were disappearing? How many stories were fading into oblivion? It didn’t matter to the world. But it mattered to me. Because for the first time, I saw my purpose.

I worked tirelessly with the artisan, designing new products, trying to innovate while preserving tradition. But I knew this wasn’t enough. There were countless art forms vanishing, and designing a few new products wouldn’t be the solution. The mission had to be bigger. And so, I dedicated myself entirely to this idea. Day and night, it was all I could think about.

But then, the same fear resurfaced. Artists die starving. Was I just another artist chasing a dream that wouldn’t sustain itself? My mother knew this struggle too well. She was a brilliant artist, a designer at heart, but life’s hardships forced her to let go of her passion. Yet, she never let me settle. “Regret of not trying is bigger than failing. Do what you want,” she always said. My father, once an emerald gemstone artisan, crafted pieces that became treasures in the hands of luxury collectors. My grandmother, too, made intricate artifacts—until the market had no space for her talent. I had seen art and craft suffer. But experiencing it firsthand left me shaken.

The weight of it all became unbearable. I lost focus in college, in life, in everything. And then, one day, I decided to quit college and focus on it. I walked up to my Head of Department and simply said, “I won’t be coming to college from tomorrow. Bye.” And that was it.

Days passed in uncertainty until one morning, the idea crystallized into a name that would define my journey: Kavadea. A fusion of Kavad and Idea. It wasn’t just a brand name. It was a movement, inspired by the Kavadiya Bhat storytellers of Rajasthan. A mission to ensure that art, stories, and culture don’t die in the shadows of modernity.

With this clarity, I dove deep into research, refining my vision. Only then did I finally answer the calls from my university administration. After a long discussion with the Dean, I returned, not as a student just completing a course, but as a creator on a mission.

I realized that for Indian art forms to survive, they needed a new medium. The answer? Fashion. Fashion has always been more than fabric—it’s storytelling, identity, culture. Every outfit speaks of who we are. The bold, the minimalists, the free spirits, the sophisticated—all express themselves through what they wear. And through fashion, I could bring lost stories back to life.

But this journey was far from easy.

It took years of refining, testing, launching, failing, and pivoting. Finding the right customers, setting the right price, and—above all—refusing to compromise on quality. Many questioned our premium pricing. “Why is it so expensive?” they asked. But quality, craftsmanship, and storytelling have value. Cheap pricing means cheap quality. And I refuse to let centuries-old craftsmanship be devalued.

At Kavadea, every piece is more than clothing—it’s wearable art. It’s a revival of history, a bridge between tradition and the future. The fabrics, the embroidery, the hand-painted details—all are designed to make people feel seen, valued, and connected. Customers tell us that wearing Kavadea makes them feel confident, noticed, and appreciated. And that’s the true essence of what we create.

Kavadea is not just about preserving the past—it’s about making it a part of the present. It’s about ensuring that no artist, no story, and no craft is forgotten. Because art should never die starving. It should live, thrive, and inspire generations to come.

This is just the beginning.
kavadea.com