We started Ilanko Verdi because we believe the world deserves better — and so do the women who make it.
We live in a time when the things that fill our homes, our hotels, and our shelves are made faster, cheaper, and further away from nature than ever before. Plastic where there should be bamboo. Synthetic where there should be fiber. Mass-produced where there should be craft.
We wanted to do something about that. Not by talking about sustainability — but by building a social enterprise around it — one where every sale creates a livelihood, and every product carries a purpose.
Ilanko Verdi is our answer. A sustainable home décor and lifestyle export brand, sourcing handcrafted products from women artisans in the villages of India — and bringing them to hotels, boutiques, resorts, and retailers across the world.
The people behind Ilanko Verdi
Rahul Vishwanath
Co-Founder
Idea originator and driving force behind Ilanko Verdi — building the business from the ground up, from assembling the team and forging partnerships with rural women entrepreneurs to developing the product range and opening export markets across Europe, Latin America, and Japan.
Sowmya KR
Co-Founder
With a corporate background, Sowmya brings structure and rigour to Ilanko Verdi — overseeing product quality and managing communities of rural women entrepreneurs across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, driven by a deep commitment to creating lasting economic impact for the women behind every product.
Anshu Bhansali
Chief Designer
A skilled interior and product designer with deep industry exposure, Anshu brings a rare design eye to Ilanko Verdi — channelling her expertise into creating beautiful, export-ready products while using her craft to directly uplift rural women entrepreneurs in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Why we started
The idea for Ilanko Verdi came from a simple but persistent thought — that sustainability should not be a luxury, and that the most beautiful things are already being made by hand, in villages, by women who have carried this craft for generations.
We had seen what was possible. Women in the craft districts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, weaving river grass into baskets, drawing bamboo into planters, transforming banana bark — material that would otherwise be burned — into furniture, décor, and storage. Skilled, disciplined, proud of their work. And largely invisible to the global market.
We also knew what global buyers were increasingly looking for — products with provenance, with purpose, with a story that goes beyond the price tag. Hotels in Europe wanting to tell their guests something real. Boutiques in Japan curating with intention. Retailers in Latin America shifting away from plastic.
Ilanko Verdi was built to be that connection. Between the artisan and the buyer. Between India's living craft traditions and the world that needs them.
Rooted in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Made by women.
Every product in the Ilanko Verdi collection is sourced from women artisan communities in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu — regions with a centuries-old tradition of handcraft, now home to a growing movement of women-led producer enterprises.
We work directly with women-led producer communities committed to high quality standards, sustainable practices, and continuous craft development. Ownership and pride sit with the makers themselves.
When you buy from Ilanko Verdi, you are not just buying a product. You are part of a value chain that begins with a woman farmer growing bamboo on a quarter-acre plot, and ends with a beautiful, natural object in a home, a hotel room, or a boutique shelf — somewhere in the world.
Why bamboo. Why banana fiber. Why natural — always.
We did not choose these materials for aesthetics alone — though they are undeniably beautiful. We chose them because they are right.
Bamboo
Bamboo sequesters significantly more carbon than most trees and produces up to 35% more oxygen. It grows on degraded, uncultivable land — land no food crop can use — and once planted, can be harvested annually for decades. Women farmers in Karnataka grow and harvest bamboo as a long-term livelihood, organized into producer-owned enterprises that give them control over their income and their futures.
Banana Fiber
Banana bark is a by-product of every banana harvest — in most cases, it is simply burned, releasing carbon needlessly. Our supply chain transforms this agricultural waste into rope, baskets, lamp shades, planters, and storage — strong, flexible, and fully biodegradable. Women producers in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka extract, process, and weave banana fiber into finished products, turning waste into income and independence.
River Grass and Chumba
Sustainably harvested from natural waterways using traditional methods practised for generations. These materials require no chemical processing, no industrial energy, and no virgin raw materials — just the skill of hands that know their craft deeply. Artisans in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have woven these grasses into objects of everyday beauty for centuries.
Palm Leaf
Palm leaf is gathered from naturally fallen leaves — the tree is never harmed in the process. Shaped and woven by skilled artisans, it becomes décor, storage, and lifestyle products that are entirely compostable at the end of their life. Zero waste, by design.
What we stand for
Women artisans
Fair livelihoods at the heart of the enterprise
Natural materials
No plastic. No synthetics. Just what the earth gives.
India's craft heritage
Traditions built over generations, taken global
Global B2B buyers
Hotels, boutiques, resorts and retailers worldwide
If this is what you want to stock — let's talk.
We work with hotels, boutiques, resorts, and retailers who believe in what they sell. If that sounds like you, we would love to share our catalogue and find the right products for your space.
Send a bulk enquiry