Old and Chic in Bengaluru was founded in December 2021 on the idea that senior folks are cool, which also inspired the platform’s name. They sell handmade and upcycled products made by creators above the age of 60. For founder Lakshmy Ramakrishnan, its early beginnings took shape at home with creativity running through her family; her grandmother, CV Jayalakshmi, and mother, Radha Ramakrishnan, would often create vases, crochet mats and pillowcases. They were also the community’s go-to artists for gifting options or upcycling products or sentimental items in order to cherish them. Ramakrishnan also noticed that many other senior citizens in her grandmother’s retirement home would hand-make functional and beautiful objects for their grandchildren. The artist in her awoke to facilitate the joy of creating and sharing, she says, “I would see them making all these amazing things but no one knew about it. I had the urge to share it with the world.”

Radha Ramakrishnan, Valli Natarajan, Shyamala Selvaraj and CV Jayalakshmi