This collection of Authentic Imperfections comprise of ceramic vessels which have been made by hand in Hala, Sindh, which is in the South of Pakistan.
About Hala
To the left of the Indus River in the Sindh province is a lively town of Hala. It is the home of the Kashi artisans, who have been plying their art since ancient times. Amongst its most popular handicrafts is pottery. Its glazed ceramic terra cotta pieces are quite popular in Pakistan and beyond.
The town makes pottery of various shapes and sizes that is famous for the hand-painted designs imprinted on them. The most popular colours are cobalt blue, turquoise, purple, mustard, white, and brown.
Hala pottery has a high demand both in Europe and in the Middle East.
This town offers lots of excitement for those who love shopping for unique, creative and interesting items for their homes. Throughout its streets, you will find workshops, which are more like pottery yards than actual factories. They are not well-designed like some of the modern pottery studios you may expect to find in Europe. Some of the workshops have been down through generations for decades. The yards have an organic, earthy feel to them with the borders marked by just brick walls.
Each yard is divided into a variety of sections. Some of the sections are used to stock the pottery and other earthenware; other sections are used to heat-treat the earthenware products while the other is used for making and painting them.
You will usually find people living close to the yards, usually just opposite their yard. The houses are of a simple brick design and are made from the same material as the pottery for which they are so famous.
The Process
Each piece goes through a lengthy process involving about 20 steps. In most cases, one person does all the work. However, you are likely to find people working in yards in groups of five or ten. The interesting part is that everything in these yards is handcrafted. It is a long and difficult process but one that ensures each piece is unique. These have also been made by a local artisan named Ali.
For more details on the process and what else there is to see and do in Hala you can visit pottery-and-other-handicrafts-of-hala.
Story behind the Name
We've named these Authentic imperfections because they are reflective of what the Pakistani society and culture has to offer as a holiday destination. Pakistan is a raw destination, it is lacking in the finesse, glitz and glamour that destinations like Dubai, Singapore or Australia have to offer. However the charm it has is raw, you experience the people and its culture in its raw form as it is some time away from being commercialised. With that things don't always go to plan and you have to be open minded that things won't be perfect.
These Vessels when I first received them were a batch I was going to reject because it had cracks, chips and the painting was clean, however upon second reflection, they were beautiful and authentic because of these imperfections.
We are so used to buying things that are mass produced that our expectations of what we consider a good quality product has changed.
Whats lovely about this collection is that I gave free reign to the local artists to create something that was authentic to them to ensure it was true to the art form. Once the wax is all used up, you can use these vessels to hold nuts or chocolates or you can send back to us and we can provide a refill service.
