You Need To Shop From These 18 Indian Queer-Owned Small Businesses On Instagram, Like, Right Now

Products as diverse and vibrant as the people who create them! 🌈

While Pride Month ushers in an incredible amount of queer joy, it also drags along a plethora of corporations with their Pride-themed merchandise that, unfortunately, make no difference to the lives of the people from the LGBTQIA+ community.

@helloall on GIPHY / Via giphy.com

Ergo, here’s a guide to some small businesses owned by people from the queer community that you can shop from and help make an actual difference. This list is, however, by no means, exhaustive, and we urge you to continue lending your support to your local queer-owned businesses, all year round! 🌈

1. AaRa Jewellery and more | @_aara_jewellery

Instagram: @_aara_jewellery / Via instagram.com

Owner: Aabritee

Pronouns: She/her

If you're on the lookout for hand-embroidered jewellery, look no further than AaRa Jewellery. The owner, Aabritee, translates her love for pets into adorable and customised pet portrait pendants.  

2. Anjali Raj 🏳️‍🌈 Illustrator | @thecolourmaniac

Instagram: @thecolourmaniac / Via instagram.com

Owner: Anjali Raj

Pronouns: She/her

Anjali is a self-taught artist from Bangalore who loves to illustrate people, animals, and inanimate objects. Her lively art comes from her love of doodling people while listening to their unique stories. 

3. Omaira Handcrafts | @omairahandcraftsindia

Instagram: @omairahandcraftsindia / Via instagram.com

Owner: Shreya

Pronouns: She/they

Omaira Handcrafts has a variety of products, including, but not limited to jewellery, home decor items, collectibles, wearable art, and stationery. The products are all made from an eco-friendly and zero-waste approach. Shreya is very experimental with their art and encourages their patrons to do the same with their orders!

4. Podi Nan Maga | @podinanmaga

Instagram: @podinanmaga / Via instagram.com

Owner:  Abhiram Sridhar

Pronouns: All pronouns

Podi Nan Maga makes traditional chutney podis and pickle/thokku inspired by the founder, Abhiram's grandmother. It's a perfect mix of something that tastes novel but will remind you of the good old days!  

5. Lisa🌈 | @tinieknits

Instagram: @tinieknits / Via instagram.com

Owner:  Lisa

Pronouns: All pronouns

This business idea that grew out of Lisa's college assignment is completing a year of creating the cutest amigurumi creatures that you'd want to have by your side at all times. They also have a Pride month offer wherein every order with a minimum of one Pride item gets a free Pride flag pin.

6. SunflowerFields by Sid˚✧₊⁺˳✧༚ | @__sunflowerfields__

Instagram: @__sunflowerfields__ / Via instagram.com

Owner:  Sid

Pronouns: She/he/they

SunflowerFields by Sid sells handmade, dreamy jewellery that fits every aesthetic and style. 

7. Transmutation Soap Studio | @transmutation.soap.studio

Instagram: @transmutation.soap.studio / Via instagram.com

Owner:  Dr. Sneha Rooh and Deepthi

Pronouns: She/her for both

Transmutation Soap Studio, run by this queer couple and based in Shahpur Jat in Delhi, is a sustainable soap-making venture. The couple upcycles discarded flowers and fruit peels to create a range of eco-friendly soaps. They now have a catalogue that includes 13 different types of soaps.  

8. THRFT | @thrft_store_

Instagram: @thrft_store_ / Via instagram.com

Owner:  Yasin Habib

Pronouns: He/him

Yasin started THRFT at the mere age of 18 and his store mainly specialises in streetwear and vintage pieces. However, if you're lucky, you might also find some reworked gems on the page.

9. Ria | @illustratorinator

Instagram: @illustratorinator / Via instagram.com

Owner:  Ria Hiremath

Pronouns: She/they

Ria is a visual artist from Bangalore who likes to experiment with traditional and digital art, as well as with resin. While their artwork stems from expressing emotions and feelings, their resin works are rooted in the idea of carrying a part of nature with you, everywhere you go. 

10. Pratheeksha Yenadka | @pattis_gallery

Instagram: @pattis_gallery / Via instagram.com

Owner: Pratheeksha

Pronouns: She/her

Pratheeksha is an architecture student trying to make a career in art. While her art started out as a coping mechanism, it has now become a way of expressing emotions. From watercolour journals to teabags, she turns anything and everything into her canvas to express her creativity. 

11. Monjira | @the.procrastipainter

Instagram: @the.procrastipainter / Via instagram.com

Owner: Monjira

Pronouns: They/she/he

Monjira began drawing the cutest cats with lots of character and personality in order to feel more connected to them. This later evolved into the idea of turning them into stickers and t-shirt prints. Their profits mostly go towards more art supplies, cat food, and a tattoo money jar. 

12. Eeyerta | @_eeyerta

Instagram: @_eeyerta / Via instagram.com

Owner:  Atreyee

Pronouns: She/they

Atreyee is a self-taught illustrator and a teacher based in Kolkata. They started creating watercolour illustrations during the lockdown as a way to connect with their inner child and acknowledge their feelings, emotions, thoughts, and needs through art. Their illustrations reflect their childhood memories and will remind you of your personal simpler times. 

13. Stick n Poke Tattoos by Aaradhya | @pokesbyrebel

Instagram: @pokesbyrebel / Via instagram.com

Owner: Aaradhya

Pronouns: She/her

Aaradhya specialises in hand-poked tattoos which basically consist of multiple dots manually poked into one’s skin using a sterile tattoo needle. Aaradhya thinks of tattooing as an unconventional way of communicating and uses her art to provide a space for people to express their ideas and stories.

14. Radz (she/her)🌈 | @radhika.nighoskar

Instagram: @radhika.nighoskar / Via instagram.com

Owner: Radhika

Pronouns: She/her

Radhika is the co-founder and co-owner of The Ink Corporation, a tattoo studio based in Noida. She does customised hand-poked tattoos with the aim of providing a safe space for queer people and cishet women.

15. Jewellery | Home Decor | Gifts | quire.studio

Instagram: @quire.studio / Via instagram.com

Owner: Jesmin Ahmed

Pronouns: She/her

With its aesthetically pleasing and sustainable approach, Quire.studio wants to make luxury pieces that are not only handcrafted but also more accessible and affordable. Their products range from jewellery, artisanal candles, and home-decor pieces, all exhibiting the gender-neutral vision of Jesmin. 

16. EMBARQUE | @embarque.co

Instagram: @embarque.co / Via instagram.com

Owner: Naman Chaubey

Pronouns: He/him

Born during the pandemic, Embarque is an eco-conscious and inclusive lifestyle brand which offers everything from decor and clothing to personal care products. 

17. Nature Masons | @thenaturemasons

Instagram: @thenaturemasons / Via instagram.com

Owner: Jennifer Parras and Mrinalini Deshprabhu

Pronouns: She/her and they/them, respectively

Owing to the sheer lack of natural deodorants, soaps, shampoos, and conditioners in the Indian market, the founders of Nature Masons took it upon themselves to make them from scratch, in a sustainable manner. Their products are unisex, organic, cruelty-free, zero waste, and reef safe and come in packaging that is completely recyclable. 

18. addy | @adrija_starling

Instagram: @adrija_starling / Via instagram.com

Owner: addy 

Pronouns: She/her

Addy loves to draw portraits and fan art, while also experimenting with digital art. Although she hasn't taken up any commissions yet, she would be more than happy to do so and turn your vision into lifelike, colourful pieces of art.

What are some of your favourite queer-owned small businesses? Share below so that we can show them some love in a future post!