Hyderabad hosts FAFF exhibition to showcase handmade products

Hyderabad: Hyderabad hosted the Fifth Avenue Fashion And Flea (FAFF) exhibition at Hitex to showcase handmade and home-based products. Demand for handmade products never dies even in the world of readymade, machine-made, and ready to print 3D digital world, says Aabha Mirza, the exhibition organiser.

Handmade products are green as they are made by hand and consume less energy and doing so generates more jobs. Studies show that shifting just 10 per cent of consumer spending in a particular area to locally owned businesses would create hundreds of new jobs and earnings.

Fifth Avenue Event Management company conceptualised the exhibition. Aabha Mirza said, “We live in a world where many things are mass-produced. I am not saying that something is wrong with them. But it’s also wonderful that more people everywhere are beginning to embrace things that are made by hand in small quantities. In case you hadn’t heard, here is why handmade matters.”

The one-day event provided a platform and gave push to home-based, local, and small businesses. The exhibition had 100 plus stalls. All exhibitors showcased home-based and sustainable products.

The event also included an e-waste drive and requested visitors to carry e-waste, which they want to discard properly. It had a stall and a lot of people brought e-waste with them and deposited it. The drive was organised on the eve of International E-Waste Day to be observed on October 14th, said Praneetha, which is behind the initiative. Being a government servant working in a municipal administration, this passionate engineer has been championing the cause of e-waste to save the mother planet in her capacity.

Former Infosys employee turned home entrepreneur Divya Shree, a mother of a child, started Dwelloncrafts. Her resin jewellery and home decor products are sold all over the world on etsy.com, an American e-commerce company focused on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies. She sold 130 plus handmade mini chess pieces all over the world made of resin.

Payal Jain, a 25-year-old B Com graduate set up her small venture called PSquare Creations two years back with an investment of Rs 40,000, which she recovered. She made all kinds of handmade creative works/art pieces, designer wall clocks, photo frames and wedding gifts.