Friday's Featured Artist- Mayura Kona

Today's Featured Artist is a true talent. I have had the pleasure of knowing her for over 5 years as well as working with her at my first design job. It's so inspiring to see that she has made a name for herself and truly believes in her art and in her business. Here's a little peek into her world.

*photo credit- onethreadfairtrade.com

1. Tell me about yourself (name, age, hobbies, obsessions, dreams/goals).

My name is Mayura Kona and I am 29 years old. I am the founder and designer behind a truly inspirational brand called One Thread Fair Trade. My personal obsessions would be drawing and dancing. Those two activities bring me the most peace and sense of purity. There is nothing between you and the sketchpad or you and the music, as cheesy as that may sound! I've also recently become obsessed with this blog about these little vampire pet characters called Banpaia pets. A fun, slightly embarrassing fact is that I used to play the bagpipes in high school. Yes, I wore a kilt. On a serious note, my ultimate dream is to build and expand One Thread into a global company that empowers and supports thousands of women across the globe and continually pushes the boundaries of design at the same time.

2) What inspires you most when it comes to designing?

As a designer, I am heavily inspired by patterns and shapes found in nature. There is nothing more beautiful than a simple flower, it is absolute perfection. I am also inspired by antique Indian jewelry, the patterns on vintage pieces are absolutely exquisite. When I am designing, I try to create detailed designs that make people want to take a second look just to make sure they caught everything. As a social entrepreneur, I am utterly inspired by the women that I work with. Our artisans have experienced so much struggle and pain in their lives, yet they have grown into strong, independent women and mothers. They are my inspiration for not only the business but for my entire life, they have truly given a new meaning to my life and the word “woman.”

3)What is unique about your company?One Thread is a fair trade company that works with communities of impoverished female artisans in South India to produce beautiful, socially-conscious throw cushions. Our work enables battered and marginalized women to become self-sufficient and improve the quality of life for both themselves and their children. Each of our products comes with a hand-signed label with the name of the artisan that tailored the piece, what she believes in, and an artisan number. You can read about the individual artisan's life by looking up her artisan number in the artisan section of our website.

4)Where can we find more of you?

You can find out more about me and our amazing artisans on our website: www.onethreadfairtrade.com. You can also follow me as I document our journey on Twitter: http://twitter.com/one_thread_ft.

And for all those facebookers out there, join our fan page at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=80452624746

5)What are you current projects?
Currently, I am working on a line of small accessories and purses. It is still in the very early design stages but I am very excited about the possibilities. I am actually leaving to India in a couple of weeks to work with our artisans on the new products. Our next trade show is the Las Vegas Home and Gift Show in August.


Join me next week for another talented Featured Artist.