Mehraj

What Mehraj does

Mehraj is a London-based textile art practice operating as a sole proprietorship under founder Sba Shaikh, producing hand silk screen-printed artworks, textile wall hangings, bespoke commissions, and educational workshops. Its commercial activities also include the Klassy Kitsch sub-brand, a line of designer scarves produced in India, which extends the core artistic practice into a repeatable consumer product. The business serves three customer segments: individual art collectors and home decor buyers, UK museums and cultural institutions (including the V&A, William Morris Gallery, London Fashion & Textile Museum, and Alchemy Festival) for exhibitions, commissions, and workshops, and commissioning clients seeking bespoke textile pieces.

The underlying craft is manual and artisanal — hand silk screen-printing on A1 formats, silk and cotton wall hangings, and curated workshop delivery to schools and museums. There is no proprietary technology platform; production scales linearly with the founder's time and a small team of 9 employees. Distribution is split between direct-to-consumer via the mehraj.co.uk website, institutional channels through museum partnerships, and India-based supply for the Klassy Kitsch scarf line. Revenue is generated through art sales, commissions, workshop fees, and scarf sales, with no public pricing or subscription model. Geographic reach is primarily UK with selected international exhibition presence in India.

Name

Mehraj

Legal name

Mehraj Textile Art & Design

Website

https://mehraj.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mehraj is a London-based textile art practice founded by Sba Shaikh, producing hand silk screen-printed artworks, wall hangings, bespoke commissions, and the Klassy Kitsch designer-scarf line, serving art collectors, commissioning clients, and UK museums including the V&A.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Textile Art

NAICS

Curtain and Linen Mills (31412)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Fashion & Textile Arts (Sewing, Patternmaking, Knitting, Crochet) (EDAAAGAK)

Keywords

• Textile art
• Silk screen printing
• Art workshops
• Designer scarves
• Bespoke commissions

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Art commissions and sales: Bespoke textile art commissions and sale of original artworks and prints. Products include textile wall hangings and hand silk screen-printed A1 prints.
2. Educational and workshop services: Delivery of creative workshops for museums, galleries, and festivals. Educational commissioned collaborations with institutions such as William Morris Gallery.
3. Designer scarf sales (Klassy Kitsch label): Sale of designer scarves, including ethically sourced and produced scarves from Bhuj, Gujarat and Mumbai, India.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mehraj is a UK-based textile art studio that creates and sells hand silk screen-printed A1 artworks, sheer textile wall hangings in silk and pure cotton, and ethically sourced designer scarves under the Klassy Kitsch sub-brand. The studio also designs and delivers educational textile workshops (block printing, kalamkari) for museums, galleries, and festivals, and accepts bespoke commissions for textile art installations.

Product overview

Mehraj is a UK-based textile artist and entrepreneur offering hand-crafted art products and services. The core product portfolio includes hand silk screen-printed A1 artworks/prints, textile wall hangings made from premium fabrics (silk and pure cotton), and designer scarves under the Klassy Kitsch sub-brand. The business also provides workshops and educational programs for cultural institutions, as well as bespoke commissioned art. The offerings are unified under the artist's creative vision exploring her Muslim Indo/British heritage, Mughal art history, and Indian Royalty influences, combined with contemporary design elements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Klassy Kitsch: A range of designer scarves, including a collection of ethically sourced and produced scarves from Bhuj, Gujarat and Mumbai, in India.

Products and services

• Artworks and Prints

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Waltham Forest MelaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Part of the 2017 Waltham Forest Mela team to make the festival more inclusive and appealing. Led on curating a group art exhibition called 'Millen' and showcasing of traditional national costumes of South Asia.
• Victoria and Albert MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Sba was invited to showcase her textile art installation titled 'My genes were made in India' as part of the 'Fabric of India' exhibition. She also delivered a taster block printing session for visitors during a 'Friday Lates' event called 'Made in India'. This represents a significant institutional partnership and recognition of her work.
• William Morris GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing educational commissioned collaboration assisting in leading, creating, developing and delivering creative educational based workshops and primary schemes of work. Also serves as community artist in residence. Sba also advises on creative educational programmes.
• Alchemy Festival at Southbank LondonminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWorkshops designed and delivered for the Alchemy Festival at Southbank London.
• Wood Street FirstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrently serving as community artist in residence at Wood Street First.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wallace Sewell: London-based textile design studio producing woven scarves, throws, and interior textiles, comparable in scale and product focus to Mehraj's textile art and Klassy Kitsch scarf line. Both are UK designer-maker studios selling distinctive, design-led textile products.
• The New Craftsmen: London-based collective representing contemporary British craft makers producing homewares and accessories. Comparable to Mehraj as a UK-based maker of high-end, culturally rooted textile craft products targeting collectors and home decor enthusiasts.
• Aeron: Wales-based ethical textile brand sourcing and producing textiles from India with a focus on artisan craftsmanship. Directly comparable to Mehraj's Klassy Kitsch line, which is ethically sourced from Bhuj, Gujarat and Mumbai.
• Eley Kishimoto: UK-based textile and fashion design partnership known for bold graphic prints applied to fashion and home textiles. Comparable to Mehraj in combining hand-designed textile art with applied/end-use products and a distinctive visual signature.

Broad incumbents

• Toast: UK retailer of artisanal homewares, clothing, and textiles with a similar maker/heritage aesthetic. Comparable to Mehraj in targeting design-conscious consumers seeking distinctive, craft-led textile products, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Liberty London: Iconic London luxury department store with a strong textile and fine craft heritage. Comparable to Mehraj as a UK cultural institution in textile arts, though at vastly larger scale and as a retailer rather than maker.

Others

• Folksy: UK-based handmade craft marketplace connecting independent makers with buyers. Directly comparable to Mehraj's target audience of art collectors and craft enthusiasts, and a potential sales channel for Klassy Kitsch scarves and prints.
• Etsy: Global marketplace for handmade and vintage goods. Comparable to Mehraj as an enabling platform serving the same one-of-a-kind textile art and craft buyer persona.
• Not On The High Street: UK online marketplace curating handmade and personalised products from independent makers. Relevant as a potential distribution channel for Mehraj's textile art and Klassy Kitsch products, similar to other artisan marketplace peers.
• Waltham Forest Council (William Morris Gallery): William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, a long-standing partner and now a Trustee relationship. Comparable as a buyer/partner of Mehraj's workshop services and as a benchmark for comparable UK museum and gallery arts programming partners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/116038005083378
• Instagraminstagram.com/mehrajart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mehraj

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mehraj