Aiming to preserve traditional knowledge and craftsmanship, lifestyle brand Indikon opened a pop-up store in Brussels' EU quarter to tell the story of its textiles, inspiration and craft process.
Indikon – launched online in 2021 and now based close to Place Jourdan until the end of January – works with artisans practising traditional craft techniques to make a wide range of textiles for people's homes: from blankets, cushions and table linen to carpets, clothing and accessories.
Founded by lawyer-turned-designer Radhika Singh, the brand aims to become "for lack of a better explanation, something like Zara, but completely different," she told The Brussels Times. "The vision is to grow like a big brand, with clothing and textiles."
Radhika Singh in front of her pop-up store in Etterbeek. Credit: Indikon
A true tale of two cultures, the brand is based on Singh's personal story: after moving to Belgium from India in 2015, she now lives in Brussels with her Belgian-Greek husband. Like their marriage, Indikon is a blend of Greek and Indian culture, from design aesthetics to traditional craft techniques.
Even the name ties the two together: 'indikon' is an ancient Greek word meaning "from India."
Connecting north and south
"Once I moved here, I felt like so many of the clothes I bought or things I needed for the house were coming from another part of the world – many of them from India," she explained. "So many textiles are made in the global south, but sometimes it is almost as if we are just making things for the global north. There is a big disconnect between the two."
Indikon's textiles, on the other hand, are designed by Singh in Brussels and handmade using craft forms such as hand block printing, hand spinning and hand weaving, and embroidery in India. The designs, however, were inspired by traditional Greek motifs found on ancient pottery, Greek monuments, islands and culture.
Credit: Indikon
Singh works with several small groups of artisans in India who have been practising their traditional craft for generations. "Most of the people who are doing this are sixth-generation craftspeople. They are not cheap, but it is really important to protect these kinds of craft techniques."
The emphasis is on fair wages and safe working conditions, but also on telling the untold stories of the artisans to protect the craft and cultural heritage of these communities. "My aim is to connect the consumer to the craftsperson. Some of the carpets I have took someone 20 days to make. People are not just buying a piece of fabric."
All its textiles are made in small quantities one piece at a time using natural and durable materials, such as organic cotton, organic linen and dead stock fabrics.
Trying to have an impact
"We always talk about fashion, fashion, fashion," said Singh. "But fashion is also agriculture: cotton is grown, cut and processed, and only then does the t-shirt get made, a whole harvesting process is needed to get silk... But all of that means that the farmer also needs to get paid properly. And that is also what I am trying to do."
"I worked for almost ten years as a lawyer, but I quit my job to do this. I wanted to do something that matters and has a bigger social impact," she affirmed. In the meantime, she is also working towards establishing a programme to provide legal aid to the artisans with whom she works.
Indikon's pop-up store is located in L'Auberge Espagnole of Etterbeek, the commercial incubator of hub.brussels, at Chaussée de Wavre 331. The hub allows small businesses to test out their project for a period of up to four months with moderate rent and personalised coaching.
"After this, I want to open a permanent Indikon store in Brussels, along with my online shop," Singh said. "The sales have been going really well so far, better than I expected. So fingers crossed for after January."
The Indikon pop-up store will remain in Etterbeek until the end of January. Find more information here.
