A few days ago, during a motorcycle ride, my brand-new shirt got dirty. Like any person would, I threw it in the washing machine and the next thing I know, someone else threw another coloured clothing with it and ended up staining the shirt. The yellow shirt now had green patches all over it. I was both sad and frustrated but nothing else could be done as even dry cleaning could not remove the stains.
I started looking for another new shirt or t-shirt online just to cool my mind and that is when I came across the website “iTokri,” that popped up on my search. Although I was a bit skeptical at first, I clicked on the website to check out the products. It seemed like the products they sell are mostly handcrafted products. I liked a few of the shirts and t-shirts but none of them were of my size. I wear medium size clothing and most of the medium-sized clothing were sold out. After further filtering the searches based on size I came across this t-shirt with a beautiful and unique red-maroon-brown print. I am a big fan of red, especially darker shades of red, like carmine. My motorcycle, car, guitar, and a lot of my t-shirts and shirts are red. The description said that the product is 100% cotton, the printing was done by traditional printing technique using natural dyes and had a country of origin mentioned as India. I am not a fashion expert in any way, but this intrigued me to add it to the cart. While I was at it, I checked other products on the website and ended up adding a hand-painted bamboo key ring with a red bike painted on it and a hand-made jute bag with atleast some red in it to the cart as well.
Initial User Experience:
- T-shirt:
Material & Fit: It appears to be made of high-quality cotton and feels soft. The t-shirt fits perfectly as well.
Colour and print: The colour and print look almost the same as they appear on the website. However, the colour might look slightly different due to different types of device displays. Even after the first wash with cold water and detergent, there is no significant colour bleeding or fading. So, it is safe to say that the colour and printing are of high quality.
Comfort: I like going for motorcycle rides a lot. However, the temperatures where I live go beyond 35 degrees Celsius during summers, so fabric material and quality matter a lot here. Even after a 150 km motorcycle ride on a 36 degrees Celsius day, I did not feel any particular discomfort because of the fabric, nor did it start releasing any bad odour.
- Jute Bag:
Material: The exterior is tough enough to withstand rough usage and appears to be made of natural jute. The interior lining is made of synthetic material to provide water resistance, which should provide decent resistance from water splashes under normal conditions, but probably not under rain as water may get in through the zipper. The stitches are of high quality and should last. The button at the front is stitched fairly strong, however, like any other button in the world it definitely cannot be stretched beyond a limit. Therefore, the front pocket is more suitable for small light weight objects.
Utility: Being a motorhead, I am using it to store and carry all my tools, such as a tyre puncture kit, socket wrench set, Allen key set, and a screwdriver set. Together all these tools weigh a lot, and the bag is able to handle the weight. There is no noticeable damage yet. Other than carrying my tools, I can think of other usages as well, such as a first aid bag, lunch box bag, even for small-scale grocery shopping, etc.
- Key ring:
Material and print: The key ring is made of good quality bamboo and the artwork is hand painted. Even after exposing it to water, there has been no damage to paint or the bamboo.
Utility: The material and the paint seem like they can withstand rough usage and will last long even under daily use. Therefore, it can be used as an everyday key ring or even a motorcycle key ring as well.
Conclusion:
Probably, the first thing that may strike the mind at a first glance while trying to buy the products is the price. At INR 1700+, INR 400+, and INR 200+, for the t-shirt, the bag, and the key ring respectively, the products are not low-priced. Then again, the products are either printed using traditional methods or handcrafted or both. Prices compared to other mass-produced products having countries of origin as China or Bangladesh will always be higher.
The delivery time taken for these products to reach after order confirmation was around 9 days, which is close to any other conventional product delivery time. However, If you are someone used to new-age super-fast one hour or one day delivery, this is something to keep in mind while placing an order. Personally, this is not a dealbreaker since these items are not day-to-day essential products.
Overall, the products are of high quality and have satisfactory fit and finish. Additionally, since these mostly handcrafted products, the number of units available on sale are limited. Therefore, the products do not feel common or generic.
The website was also really kind enough to send a packet of handmade incense that smells really good, as a token of love for my first buy.
Disclaimer: The colour of the products shown in the article might vary depending on displays of different devices.