muughl mâché, an ethically focused decorative item brand working with local artisans from jammu & kashmir, india, promotes a new line of ethically-produced, handmade and hand-painted wood and papier-mâché elephants, supporting WWF-india’s work for elephant conservation. the brand offers high-quality products that people in the world really haven’t seen before, while building sustainability through economic stability in jammu & kashmir.

muughl mâché's wood and papier-mâché elephants are handcrafted by indian artisans
‘black or’ elephant family

 

 

working as a un refugee consultant in new delhi, the founder of muughl mâché greg doudican found himself in jammu & kashmir, a region located in northern india that has endured decades of conflict, resulting in economic and social hardships. doudican immersed himself into the traditional kashmiri papier-mâché and wood carving industry, learning of its rich history and recent decline due to external pressures.

muughl mâché's wood and papier-mâché elephants are handcrafted by indian artisans
‘bouquet’ elephant family

 

 

‘we have an age-old industry, still producing these original, hand-made items that are highly detailed and unique,’ doudican explains. muughl mâché came to fruition as an offshoot of doudican’s line of ethically produced pashmina shawls, ‘shawl wallah’. during one of his trips to jammu & kashmir, doudican witnessed the potential in supporting another kashmiri traditional industry, which led to the creation of muughl mâché.

muughl mâché's wood and papier-mâché elephants are handcrafted by indian artisans
‘fabrique’ elephant family

 

 

‘the various artisans involved apply techniques passed down through generations, making each piece a true work of art,’ doudican says.‘ as with shawl wallah, doudican developed muughl mâché, with a commitment to sourcing ethically-produced products, while keeping artisans employed, and thus simultaneously preserves this ancient art form.

muughl mâché's wood and papier-mâché elephants are handcrafted by indian artisans
‘golden azure’ elephant family

 

 

10% of the profit from the kickstarter campaign will be donated to further help fund and support asian elephant conservation across india. the campaign in on until 27 april and aims at raising 12,000canadian dollars.

 

video by muughl mache

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: maria erman | designboom