Innovation

Alokik’s jewelry is unique as each piece is handmade from a variety of unconventional mediums such as clay, beach glass, cabochons, epoxy resin, wire wrapping, metal stamping, among other eco-friendly materials. Mallaika, the owner of Alokik Goa, emphasizes that sustainability is a core value of the brand. Hence, she tries to use many recycled and upcycled materials such as flowers and seashells, which are always handpicked. She also ensures the raw materials are locally and ethically sourced. Mallaika is working towards building Alokik Goa into a zero-waste jewelry brand. Hence even the packing of the wearable jewelry is done in biodegradable cardboard boxes.

Mallaika is an entrepreneur who continuously experiments with new mediums and designs creating beautiful wearable pieces out of them. We see she has experimented with a small decor piece made out of pebbles during this Quarantine period. Interestingly this small local business has been noticed and appreciated by Priyanka Chopra for its sustainable jewelry, specifically the flower pendants, which she tagged in an Instagram post. Mallaika shared with us about the international orders and inquiries she has started to receive while planning to have her own art studio sometime in the future.

Inspiration

A self-taught jewelry maker, Mallaika started making necklaces from a young age. During the summer holidays after her 12th std. Board exams, her penchant for jewelry making led her to open up a stall at a local pop-up bazaar. The products were made using polymer clay and drew a lot of attention among the visitors. By the end of the event, Mallaika sold all of her handmade items. Upon seeing the positive response, she decided to take it up a notch by going full-scale. She created an Instagram account and named it ‘Alokik’ – a Konkani word which means extraordinary, something that cannot be found anywhere else. Thus ‘Alokikgoa’ was born.

Fast forward to today, Alokikgoa is a growing business with over a thousand orders this year. The products are experimental and unique. “It’s almost a therapeutic process for me,” says Mallaika. Everything is handmade from bracelets, chokers, earrings, pendants, rings, key chains, and many more beautiful items. The designs are uniquely crafted using materials like sea glass, crystals, and shells, with the goal being to bring out the best of the raw material used.

Overall impact

"There is so much we can do from waste," said the founder of Alokik Goa, Mallaika.
The brand, which started as just a source of extra pocket money, is now revolving around sustainability and opted for it as its core value. Accepting the fact that we are sitting on a WASTE MINE and to make the best out of waste is in itself was empowering. They didn't only start walking on the road of sustainability, but they also made sure that it becomes a more regular and usual activity to reuse the waste and turn it into something productive and made sure that people don't hesitate in wearing jewelry made out of waste. They tried to make people get used to this concept.

Handmade with love, the tagline of Alokikgoa tells us about their impact on society; with love in their heart towards the community and climate, they go out and handpick the materials for their jewelry and always give sustainability a priority. Adding to this, Alokikgoa believes in sourcing all the materials locally and incorporates the idea of keeping more jobs available in their local community. With so much impact on their local community and society as a whole, they still think that they have a long way to go in terms of their business and to make the idea of sustainability sustainable in society.

Business benefit

The innovation presented by Alokik Goa shows that an enterprise doesn’t have to change the world at once: beginning with a small community you care about and telling your story and listening to theirs is all it takes. With early dedication and awareness about environmental impact and a significant connection with the community—Alokik Goa demonstrates how sustainable business design at any scale can make a difference.

In terms of profitability, selling handmade accessories has a healthy margin. While costs are relatively low as the core material is available naturally, other materials are available at a low price. Moreover, some of the material used in making this unique form of jewelry is the actual waste accumulated from the beaches of Goa, India. This further reduces the cost and maximizes the environmental impact. Retail prices are set at a level that makes economic sense in the targeted market. Like in a non-social business, profit acts as a driver for the entrepreneur in a social enterprise and supports scaling up the good that Alokik Goa attempts to do for the world. Alokik Goa has built an Instagram community of more than 9000 people and fulfills 1000+ orders every year, delivering not just jewelry but happiness to their customers.

Social and environmental benefit

This woman-run sustainable small business is contributing majorly to the following SDG’s

SDG 5: Gender equality

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

The founder is a one-woman army native to Goa. The business itself has a great impact on the achievement of Goal 5 for the state.

Being a small business and having sustainability as a core value of the brand, the company reduces waste generation by recycling and upcycling raw materials and packaging. The core values line towards zero waste generation, zero plastic packagings, and ethical sourcing of locally available materials. A significant aspect of this small business's packaging remains that it has zero plastic, and they exclusively reuse paper and other material. The raw material for the jewelry itself is often shells and sea glass, actively translating into, “One man’s waste is another man’s treasure.” These aspects of the business make it a valuable asset in terms of achieving Goal 12

Interview

Mallaika Kamat, Founder