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Makers Monday: Meet Handmade by Tinni

Today we chat to Paulomi of Handmade by Tinni and find out more about her heritage, her inspirations and her processes to make her beautiful and bold statement jewellery…

Please introduce yourself and your brand….

Paulomi Debnath – I was born and brought up in Kolkata, India, a colonial city with a rich heritage and history. Charming and extremely busy, my birth city holds a special place in my heart forever. (The cultural heritage has a huge influence on my design inspiration).

I studied sales and marketing and started my career in hotel sales. I am passionate about travelling and found great pleasure in promoting hotels and destinations.

In 2004, I met the love of my life & in 2006, we got married in Kolkata. We both belong to this ‘City of Joy’ and very proud to have strong roots there. Soon, I joined my husband in London to start a new chapter of our journey together. With my experience in hotel sales, I was back in hotel sales management.

Fast forward 14 years, I now hold a senior position in hotel procurement as my day job, have become mum of a 10-year-old imaginative boy and we live in London.

My passion – I love music, dancing and travelling.

Sustainable Statement Textile Jewellery & Home Décor.

I am a textile jewellery designer and maker. I create colourful, bold designs that brings joy & inspire ethical living.

My Brand’s USP:

Women-owned and independent – ability to adapt, pivot and launch effectively.
Strong social presence – 4K+ engaged Instagram followers.
Design essence – Colourful and Bold
Sustainability – Our future is in ethical fashion.

How would you describe your style and your products?

I believe jewellery has the power to bring joy in our day. This motivates me to design colourful & fun jewellery that can make you glow with happiness and stand out in a crowd. ⭐️
You will also feel proud when showcasing my designs as they are handmade, sustainable, and unique.

My inspiration
Handmade by Tinni was a natural step for me, born out of my passion for handcrafted unique jewellery. When I set-up my brand finally in 2020, my design inspiration came from the bright colours of nature, amazing places that I have travelled to over the years and most importantly from the rich heritage of India.

My art
I mainly use age-old rope knotting crafts and processes like macramé; creating colourful, unique and bold designs is what makes my textile jewellery stand out!

My Brand Essence:

My brand values, my aesthetics and my timeless yet fun designs make my brand unique.

I have incorporated the feeling of joy & happiness along with sustainability & creativity in my brand values to offer something unique to my audience.

I take great pride in making each piece by hand. My aim is to make anyone embrace colours, look beautiful and feel proud they showcase my designs. I also specialise in custom designs that will be unique to the buyer.

Why sustainability?
As an earth-loving soul, I want to make designs that do not harm our world any further.

How have I embraced it?

1. Cotton – I chose cotton as my main design medium as it is biodegradable, soft to wear, anti-allergic, colourful, and extremely flexible to let my imagination flow.

Handmade – I take great pride in making each piece by hand.
3. Local – I am based in London and make all my jewellery here.
4. Women-owned – A proud independent creative designer
5. Zero Waste Designs – I consciously made an effort to design new collection using my scrap rope endings to reduce any waste from my materials. Currently I have 3 products in my shop that are entire based on my own rope extras that otherwise could have ended up in waste.
6. Partnership with Ecologi to become more climate positive – Handmade by Tinni will now fund 32 trees to be planted each month in reforestation projects around the world.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Business Passion:

Being my own boss is the best. I determine when to work and how to work. I oversee my successes and failures in equal measure. I celebrate my success as much as I ponder on what did not work so that I can pivot. Yes, there is a huge pressure to make it all work, but I am answerable to only myself.

Being a creative entrepreneur is more rewarding as your work not only makes money but also gives you satisfaction as a creator. Nothing gives me more pleasure than reading the 5-star reviews on my designs.

Do you have a best seller or favourite to make?

It is very hard to pick among all your creations as you put little bit of your soul in each of them. However, if I really must, I will choose the ‘Love’ word necklace.

This was the first design that really earned my place in our creative community and became my signature design. I have since created several custom word necklaces as I can make any word (4/5 letters max recommended) like your name or belief or fun words, into wearable pieces.

What are your plans or ambitions for the future?

I am working on some new designs, and I will be sharing them with the world next month. They are colourful, fun, and unusual. I am confident that my clientele will love them.

I love what I do, and I will be doing that consistently. I would hope that in 2-3 years, I would be able to scale up the business and grow into a fairly known sustainable design brand in the UK. I plan to explore creative partnerships and brand collaborations to add some spice into my business. At the same time, I will work on my wholesale partnerships and grow the revenue from that angle.

However, I will always remain true to my brand essence of being a small independent design brand that is sustainable, colourful, and unusual – Just like me.

Sum up your brand in 3 words…

Colourful, Fun & Ethical