iTokri's Women-Led Team Runs Daily Operations
iTokri.com, India's largest curated direct-to-consumer platform for authentic handmade textiles and handicrafts, operates with a core team that is 95% women. Most of these women come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. They are not symbolic hires; they manage the daily operations of a platform that ships handmade products from over 10,000 artisan partners to customers across India and more than 30 countries.
The team handles cataloguing, product photography, quality checks, packaging, dispatch, and customer support for over 100,000 products spanning 150+ craft techniques. With more than 500 new products listed daily, the work demands speed, precision, and deep knowledge of materials and techniques.
What the Team Actually Does
Each product that reaches a customer passes through multiple hands in the Gwalior operations centre. Quality inspectors check weave density, colour fastness, and finishing. Cataloguers identify craft techniques, name materials accurately, and write product descriptions that distinguish a Maheshwari silk-cotton from a Chanderi. Packaging teams handle textiles ranging from delicate chiffon dupattas to heavy handloom bedspreads. Customer support staff field questions about fabrics, sizing, and care, often for crafts most people have never heard of.
This is skilled, detail-intensive work. The women doing it have built their expertise on the job, learning to identify 150+ craft techniques across clothing, home textiles, jewellery, and accessories. Many started with no prior formal work experience. Today, they manage entire departments.
Founded in Gwalior, Scaled from Gwalior
iTokri was founded in 2010 by Nitin and Jia Pamnani. The decision to build operations in Gwalior, rather than relocating to a metro city, was deliberate. It allowed the company to hire locally and build a team that has stayed and grown with the company.
"We didn't set out to build a women-led team. We hired the best people who showed up, trained hard, and stayed. That turned out to be almost entirely women from this city," said Nitin Pamnani, co-founder of iTokri.com. "Some of them started sorting packages. Now they run departments. They know more about Indian textiles than most people in the industry, because they handle thousands of products every month."
About iTokri
iTokri.com is India's largest curated direct-to-consumer platform for authentic handmade textiles and handicrafts. Founded in 2010, the platform works with 10,000+ artisan partners across 500+ craft clusters, offering over 100,000 products that span clothing, accessories, home textiles, and decor. iTokri ships across India and to 30+ countries. Its headquarters are in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
