Dhaka: Jatra collaborates along with nine Bangladeshi brands are going to form Jatra Mela. In this connection a grand launching ceremony was held recently in Dhaka, said a press release.

Jatra Mela is a new venture of Jatra, it’s a collaboration with Bangladeshi designers and artisans. It is located in Jatra’s Banani outlet (60 Kemal Ataturk Avenue, Banani). A multi-label design space that will showcase authentic Bangladeshi designers, artisans and brands. 

9 Bangladeshi brands Prokritojon, Monokrome ,Chondon, Hand Touch, Dew Crafts, Kuhu, Footloose, Musarrat Rahman and Ribana under one roof will illuminate the best of Bangladeshi designs.

The grand opening of Jatra Mela was on 16th of August, 2018. The various brand initiators and many more were present during the launching ceremony.

They had visual projections and sound stimulation playing. Different items such as Puli Pitha and Phuchka were served by Jatra Biroti. Shafi Mondol and The World Funk Orchestra played in the launching ceremony.

The space is a mix of many patterns and designs, each brand has their unique identity, while Musarrat Rahman sews her own articles, Prokritojon upcycles almost everything to make into something beautiful.

Maheen Khan from Monokrome is very particular about their line and gives great attention to details. Jatra Mela has variety of items starying from ceramics to cloths, home décor items, footwear, soap and many more.

A short bio about the brands who are joining collaborative:

Footloose:

Footloose aspires to create minimal footwear which perfectly suits our weather. They keep in mind quality and comfort while designing our products. This is how their footwear has won love and affection of many clients for over 2 years now. Their products are locally made by our traditional artisans, addressed as the ever needed ‘Muchi’, who has played an instrumental role in providing footwear for ages our sub-continent. 
After 2 years of providing service through their online page, they will now be joining Jatra Mela. Now you can just walk into Jatra Mela and try their minimalistic designs of footwear 7 days a week.

Prokritojon:

Main focus of Prokitojon is to resource earth friendly products, to reduce, reuse & recycle material in their craft and textile. The Program values the initiative of creativity of handmade ecofriendly handicraft with the artisans of rural Bangladesh. They also make fashion accessories with hand spun hand loom textile and prefers to use natural dye in their textile.
Prokritojon supports work for the socio economic development of underprivileged women & crafts people to Create earth friendly handicraft and textile products with recycle material that reuses /reduces.

Monokrome:
Monokrome is an emerging label from Bangladesh that aims to reach a global audience. It is an ode to minimalism and classicism, with a touch of quirk! Monokrome’s designs blend both femininity and masculinity. The products are designed for multi-purpose wear ability, to be worn over and over again. Because repetition is cool and environmentally friendly! The evolving role of women in society is a major inspiration for the collection, with a strong focus on fabrics and cuts that are comfortable and sustainable. They feel strongly about the slow fashion movement, which also drives the design element and the choice of fabric. Monokrome’s fabric of choice is cotton; and, wherever a playful incorporation calls for it, khadi - a hand-woven fabric spun from natural fibers in Bangladesh.

Musarrat Rahman:

Musarrat Rahman uses Bangladeshi traditional craft and gives it her own edgy twist. Made responsibly and with pride in Bangladesh!
With an emphasis on design, fit and tailoring this brand aims to not only challenge negative perceptions of Bangladesh as a garment exporter globally, but also tap into the vast reserves of talent and growing demand for luxury designer clothing in that country. A fusion of tradition and modernism this brand offers luxury small run and bespoke clothing with a handcrafted feel.
Musarrat Rahman focuses on using traditional craftsmanship to highlight the raw talent in Bangladeshi artisans and interpret that for a more high fashion context.
Drawing influence not just from the rich heritage of Bengali clothing and textiles, but also the bleeding edge of art, music and technology.
Chondon:

Chondon is a new product line designed by Chandana Dewan.
This line is exclusively designed for enthralling young generation to experience art and culture expressed through the fusion of ethnic and contemporary fashion.
It offers the vogue trends of apparel and accessory options to spice up wardrobe. Fashionable outfits are created out of array of colors, textures, embellishments and finest fabrics for comfort.

Kuhu:

Kuhu works from her little studio where she created textiles by hand dying and dye brush painting to create beautiful fabrics to create her line of clothing. Each outfit has a stamp of uniqueness and she usually doesn’t make more than 2 or 3 of each garment.
Saris are Kuhu’s all-time favorite. The six yards are fabric is treated and painted on to create a very unusual piece of Sari. She has also extended into weaving and continues to create her wearable art!

Ribana:

Ribana handcrafts every bar to create an experience of mind, body and spirit. Their long-lasting and luxurious natural handmade soaps are sure to enhance your bath experience
Impressum ‘We believe in using only the finest and 100% natural ingredients, making new stuff the old fashioned way.’

Hand Touch:

Hand Touch has started its journey in 2002. After nine years of experience in our local market we were confident enough to enter the export market in 2011. Currently we are exporting handloom fabrics and handmade textile products to Japan, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, the UK and Sweden. We are working hard to market our sophisticated handmade products worldwide. Hand Touch is a fair trade certified organization we adhere to fair trade principles and run a responsible business. We pay fair wages, create a good working environment, and our production process is environmentally friendly. CSR is important for us and we are continuously seeking to improve our performance in this area. We support our workers in educating their children, initiate sport programs and contribute to their healthcare.

Dew Craft:

Dew Craft  is a non-profit development organization working in Bangladesh to promote self-help poverty alleviation initiatives of the marginalized communities in our country. The main focus of the organization is to promote small and marginal producer groups in the sector of Agriculture and Handicrafts through facilitating the development of small enterprises with an aim to 
generate sustainable self-employment opportunities for under-privileged rural and urban people. Besides, DEW is also active in the fields of sustainable livelihoods and security, climate change, 
agricultural promotion, gender issues, essential service, human rights and good governance in partnership and collaboration with different international and national organizations.

Prokritojon, Monokrome, Chondon, Hand Touch, Dew Crafts, Kuhu, Footloose, Musarrat Rahman and Ribana are the nine brands that Jatra Mela is starting with. Jatra is stepping into the next phase of its experimental initiatives. Along with the Jatra Store, the Banani outlet now also has Jatra Mela, a collaborative space, Jatra gallery, the event and exhibition space and Jatra Biroti, one of the few vegetarian restaurant in Bangladesh.