E-commerce venture LuminO’art keeps traditional craftsmanship alive

LuminO’art is a manufacturing startup that works directly with artisans to create lamps and idols inspired by the period of Rajaraja Chola. It not only produces beautiful, high quality sculptures, but they do so in a way that empowers artisans through sustainable income sharing. LuminO’art follows the guidelines of Vaastu Shastra when it produces its lamps. These artifacts help create peace and calmness and are ideal for decorating your home or office. They also work great as personal and corporate gifts.Zach Zahorka caught up with Prabhu from LuminO’art to learn more.

Creating lamps and idols inspired by the Rajaraja Chola period is an interesting business idea. Where do you source your products from?

Our lamps and idols come in various sizes and range from six inches to ten feet. Some of our lamps include the Paavai Vilakku, Astha Lakshmi Vilakku, Nilavilakku and many more. Our metal sculptures are predominately made of bronze and are created using the casting method, which is a lost wax method technique. All the artwork is one of a kind and is never reproduced on a wide scale. Our artisans are the descendants of the famous Rajaraja Chola dynasty (8^th-13^th century) and their bronze casting process has been passed down generations. The creation of each piece is a delicate and arduous process. The artisan has to first create a wax model and then form a mold around the wax model. After that, he has to do the casting process and then give final touches to the piece. LuminO’art ensures that it creates high quality bronze sculptures combined with impressive traditional elements. We customise the product according to our client’s tastes and preferences. Our artisans take extra care and work on the carvings, weight, and finishing meticulously.

Did you bootstrap or raise capital to startup?

We bootstrapped in order to start our business.

What are the biggest challenges you have faced so far?

The biggest challenge we have faced so far is educating people about the difference between our product, which is produced using a very unique and ancient method, and other products that are manufactured using the mould method. Products created using the mould method can be quickly manufactured and don’t have the same quality or finishing like LuminO’art’s products.

How big is your team? Are you looking to hire?

Right now, we are just a two-member team. Zeebracross chips in by working on our marketing strategies.

What is your traction rate?

We have been getting very few hits and therefore, we need to work on our web strategies.

Do you plan to expand and offer other products for sale online apart from artefacts?

We are focused on making LuminO’art a well-known brand. Our aim is that every home should have at least one LuminO’art product and we plan to reach out to people through different channels including departmental stores.

Go to www.luminoart.com for further details!