Overview
ANAAR Artisan Network, a UK Community Interest Company, recently announced that they have selected the Chia blockchain to power the Artisan Network, a platform connecting independent artisans directly with the brands, patrons and collectors who commission and buy their work. Their goal is to give artisans a direct path to financial independence and self-sovereignty to deliver scalable impact to a group often overlooked in the design and fashion industry.
The Problem: The World of Artisans Runs on Informal Communications
Talk to anyone in the artisan economy and you’ll hear the same thing: most of it runs informally and not usually in the artisans’ favor. A patron finds an artisan, usually their representative, negotiates over messaging apps, money moves, a piece eventually ships, and none of it is written down anywhere durable. There’s no shared record of what was agreed, what was paid, or what was delivered. This lack of formality often leads to artisans not being fully recognized and compensated for the work they have done, or introduces significant delays, which can be critical for the artisans livelihood.
It goes deeper. This informality creates major challenges around provenance. A piece changes hands, the artisan’s name drops off, a copy gets passed off as the original, and there is no record anyone can check. Is the piece actually from the artisan as claimed? As recyclability and repair come into focus, does an artisan have the abilities needed to repair a piece?
It’s not that nobody wants a paper trail; but rather, neither side pushes for one. Artisans worry a contract will slow down or complicate a relationship with a patron or brand, and brands are often just as reluctant to formalize things on their end. The result is a multi-billion-dollar market where a huge amount of value changes hands with no verifiable record behind it, and where artisans in particular are the ones left exposed.
Building A Trusted Network on Chia
The Artisan Network starts with the artisan instead of the artifact. ANAAR isn’t focused on the technology (that’s Chia’s job), rather it is focused on delivering a solution that maximizes the impact for artisans, and is doing so by building a trusted network that is easily accessible for all. That’s at its core is a blockchain problem, and that is where Chia fits. ANAAR focuses on connecting artisans with patrons through discovery, credibility and contact. No payments, no commission, no fees to artisans. Patron subscriptions fund it.
Three key needs were addressed by building the network on Chia’s 3rd-generation blockchain:
Self-sovereignty. Artisans have an unique immutable identity and hold direct custody of their own earnings and of the digital record of the work they create — not a platform, not an intermediary, not a brand’s back office.
Transparent and auditable accounting. Every payment and every commission lands on a shared, tamper-proof ledger both sides can see. It’s not a WhatsApp thread that can be deleted, forgotten, or disputed.
Transaction Settlement. Transactions can be settled on-chain, artisan to patron, with the trust and security of a public ledger behind them instead of an informal handshake.
The foundation is a permanent, unique identity for every artisan. An artisan registers against a fixed taxonomy of crafts and specialisations, with practice level, years of experience, location, portfolio and work history. Nothing goes public until ANAAR has reviewed and approved it. On approval, the canonical identity record hash is written to the Chia blockchain. A decentralised identifier, secured by the artisan’s own wallet. All transactions and creations by that artisan are now stored in an immutable ledger tied to that identity.
Why a blockchain, and not just a database? Because a database can be edited by whoever runs it, and a record you have to take on trust is not proof. A hash on a public chain is immutable: once written, nobody, ANAAR included, can alter or delete it. It is also auditable: anyone can recompute the hash from the record and compare it against the chain, without asking ANAAR’s permission or taking ANAAR’s word.
This application of blockchain solves three key challenges: proof of ownership, proof of authenticity, and proof of provenance – attributing this piece to this artisan, at this moment in time.
It’s About Impact, Technology Is The Enabler
Key to selecting Chia was how it abstracts the blockchain complexity behind a set of Web2 APIs. ANAAR did not need to understand blockchain-based technology to benefit from it. Their focus was on building the best solution that delivers global impact for artisans at scale.
For users, the experience is simple. Search approved artisans by craft, practice level and trust level, save the ones you want, and connect in-app. Contact details remain private. And they finally have self-sovereignty.
In Their Words
“My pieces are sculptural and bold, handmade from urban waste like bicycle inner tubes, CDs and cork, materials the city has written off. In eight years, that work has gone from a London market stall to the Getty Museum store in Los Angeles. ANAAR takes it further: brands and designers anywhere can now discover me, see who already trusts my work, and get in touch directly,” said Kate Sheppeard, Jewellery Designer, London, UK.
“Artisans have always been judged by their work, but too often the work travels and the artisan’s name doesn’t,” said Aditi Angiras, Chief Executive Officer, ANAAR Artisan Network CIC. “We built this so a brand can find a skilled artisan anywhere, see that ANAAR has verified them, and get in touch directly. The profile is theirs to control, and it will never cost them anything. We selected Chia as it was the only blockchain that delivered the flexibility, security and decentralization that we needed.”
That is the ANAAR Artisan Network x Chia.
Learn More
ANAAR showcased this work during London Fashion Week. You can follow along or read more at visit www.anaar.network
Disclaimer: Vishal Kapoor, COO of Chia, is also a director on the board of ANAAR.