Often when people think “rural,” they think poverty, lack of infrastructure, and poor education, but what I have witnessed as an artist and entrepreneur are highly creative individuals in unfortunate circumstances that simply need a path toward opportunity. With unstable farming income, discrimination, and loss of land, villagers often leave their communities to become migrant laborers in cities—dismantling their traditional practices and obscuring their own voices in the process. Simultaneously, the urban world increasingly craves sustainability, community, and provenance, values that Indigenous communities have held for generations. Roots Studio connects those rich in cultural traditions to a multibillion-dollar market that has misappropriated ethnic designs for years, on a foundation of respect, reciprocity, and remuneration. Our collective bypasses onerous supply chains and enables steady income for artists wherever they reside, averting…
