Karishma Kusurkar

This Saturday, as part of our Small Business Saturday celebrations, we will welcome print and fashion accessories designer, Karishma Kusurkar to Maven. Karishma will have a mini pop-up shop at Maven, selling her scarves and bags - including some limited edition designs created especially for Small Business Saturday.  Learn a little bit more about Karishma here:

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do?

I am Karishma, a multidisciplinary designer with a penchant for illustration and print and my company is called Karishma Kusurkar! I create prints and accessories in capsule collections with each one based around a story close to my heart.  As well as the conceptual side of my work, I like to invent new ways of creating everyday objects. To me, it’s all in the detail!  I started my brand last year and I have been fortunate to come across lots of supportive and amazing people along the way.  I am continually developing my products and hope to scale up my brand over the coming years!  Alongside my brand, I work freelance on design projects and also take art and design workshops.

Where do you find your inspiration?

I find my inspiration far and wide - in Belfast, Maven is a store that is ever-inspiring!  I love originality and beautiful design with meaning. I love the works of designers Kenya Hara, Jessica Hische, Bjorn Rune Lie and Emma Shipley.  Some of my favourite blogs are A Pair AndA Spare, 99U, Tiny Buddha & The People’s Print.I’m always inspired by good exhibitions and a few I have particularly loved over the past several years have been The Surreal House and The House of Viktor & Rolf at The Barbican, and Sonia Delaunayat Tate Modern. I love looking at artist and designer sketchbooks and studio spaces and hearing about people’s journeys and how they got to where they are now.  My mum is a big inspiration to me as well!

Can you describe your workspace?

My studio is based at Blick Shared Studios, 51 Malone Road, Belfast. It is a beautiful old building and my space has a great view over the street below. I share the space with other entrepreneurs and designers and I love this way of working, we can share ideas and thoughts and help each other out!

When you’re not working where can we find you?

When I am not working, you will find me cooking or eating out somewhere - my fiancé Andrew and I love food! Some of our favourite places to eat are: Lee Gardenand Happy Dumpling for dim-sum, Home and Coppi for special occasions and 5Afor lunch and a chai tea at the weekend. We have also been up to Dunfanaghy in Donegal a lot over the past few weeks and it is just an amazing place to unwind. There is an amazing place called The Rusty Ovenwhich serves delicious pizzas.  I love playing tennis, although all of my leisure time being taken up by food means I haven’t played it in a while…!

What tune do you have on repeat at the minute?

I actually haven’t dug out new music in ages but what I do seem to constantly listen to are podcasts! I particularly love Criminal and within that my favourite episode has to be Triassic Park.