The Better India · 134 days ago

Mumbai Brand ‘Karmann’ Turns Textile Waste Into Rs 2 Cr Revenue, Employing 50 Disabled Artisans

When young adults with intellectual disabilities aged out of school and into silence, three special educators refused to accept that disability should determine the shape of a life. What began in 2011 as Mann, a transition space offering community and routine, revealed something the founders hadn't initially anticipated: "Employment is not just about income. It is about dignity and identity." That insight eventually gave rise to Karmann, a sustainable brand that has generated Rs 2 crore in revenue while employing 50 artisans with disabilities who transform textile waste into products people actually use and need. Across workshops in Mumbai, Kashmir and Gujarat, individuals once told to wait for inclusion are instead earning their own money, supporting their families, and discovering what Akanksha Mhatre always knew she deserved: "to be known for my work rather than my diagnosis."