As you all know.. I have been ranting and raving about Pie Lane.. I just like their stuff a bit too much.. A few weeks back I had asked Sri to explain the background for Pie Lane..I am copying the letter verbatim for you guys to read it to get a feel for it..
So here we have Sri's version of it
When we got married, the only thing we never experienced was "culture shock". I guess for both of us, the fusion of two cultures was so enriching an experience that it just became a part of our lives. Today Ton knows Pune and the politics and economy of India better than I do...and I know a lot about being Dutch. It also helped, that both our families, were totally cool with it.
A few years ago, we wanted to start some venture together...and because Ton was posted in Paris then, importing and exporting stuff was the easiest thing. We sent lehengas and sarees and ethnic jewellery there and imported specific products like flexible magnetic paper ( thus the name Flexmag) and some other stuff ... nothing focussed... just east meeting west notions.
With the sarees, someone had sent in some bindis ....and truly, my mother in law just went thro them, picked a few packets up...said hmmmmmmm...and popped them on a card she was making. She made quite a few like that...and we realized...maybe, we could use bindis....and we did. We tied up with Joycraft...a dutch company...and the first consignment...was thousands and thousands of bindis put in a western Joycraft packing.
It was too great an idea...bindis are fidgety...too intricate...didn't work...Ton once again had to leave Pune for work elsewhere...and I decided to work full time on it. ( I was an urban planner before that). That was nearly four and a half years ago....
...And we evolved..we realized we had to cater to western tastes, improve the quality of all the products..including bindis!!...and we began again. Since Flexmag was into trading...we wanted to call the hobby craft section something else.
We decided ( like most parents) to use our kid's names..Pia and Neil...it tentatively was to be Pia Line but Pia protested..Neil , of course, (cool dude!!) would not have his name on "girly stuff like stickers and glitter..:):)...and Pia, being a total foodie...and said why not Pie Lane ?...it fitted!!...( I love the Beatles and their song Penny Lane and she loves food!! ) and the name stuck..........
....of course, till date, people ask us we whether we are a bakery!!!...:):):)
We insisted all our stuff would be made in India...and seriously...I still work with craftsmen who make bindis, tattoos, and imitation jewellery. They have long given up on me..and dont question why I draw hearts with devils horns and cover them in resin...but they are great...and somehow have indulged me. All of them are based in Mumbai.
So I design and develop the actual product...each and every tiny sticker is drawn by me, we find the materials in Mumbai and other places, sit with the manufacturers and get it done....and till date, I am doing that. :):)..My associate Ritesh does all the material sourcing and looks after the actual production in Mumbai....I design and decide on what products to make, make the first samples, and develop the products ( starting with the glue which is used!!) ...and Ton does absolutely everything else.... from the paperwork, to the financing , managing, handling the studio and a 100 other things ( cos we actually convert the beads to stickers and transfer them on the final sticker packet, fill the glitter in the tiny bags, pop on the bar codes/stickers etc..)..and thats how it goes. In short, three of us pretty much do everything...:):)
