Artisan Identity & Craft Verification
Proof of craft that belongs to the artisan, not the platform
ANAAR gives artisans a permanent, verifiable digital identity anchored to the Chia blockchain. Brands can discover and trust real craftspeople directly, while artisans retain full ownership of their own professional record wherever they go.
The problem
An estimated 200 million artisans lack an online, verifiable record of their craftsmanship. Existing documentation remains trapped inside proprietary platform databases.
What we built
On-chain profiles powered by W3C decentralized identifiers secured by the Chia blockchain, with two published trust levels verifiable without relying on ANAAR's database. Artisans never need to manage a wallet.
Current status
In Production. Initial artisans onboarded during TAMMAM's Embellishment Artisan Programme in London.
Read the full case study
Situation
Craftsmanship is a key element of the fashion and luxury industries, one of the hardest for a brand to source. Whatever documentation exists tends to sit inside one program or one brand's internal files, useful to nobody outside it. Sourcing runs on personal networks that don't scale, and an artisan who builds a reputation has no way to carry it anywhere, it stays locked inside whichever platform they registered with. ANAAR's premise: build something an artisan owns outright, that a brand can verify without trusting ANAAR's word, and that works whether the artisan is online or has never used a computer to represent their work before.
"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 features and security that we needed."
Aditi Angiras, CEO, ANAAR
What we built
An artisan builds a profile against a fixed taxonomy of craft categories, practice level, and work history. Every profile sits behind review until ANAAR approves it, and every administrative action is logged. Once approved, an immutable identity is created and a record of that verification is written to the Chia blockchain, a permanent, timestamped proof that cannot be quietly rewritten. Records are held by the makers. Artisans never pay a fee.
Two trust levels appear on every public profile: Registered means identity has been reviewed and anchored; Credential Verified means at least one specific qualification has cleared its own evidence review. Artisans who aren't online yet aren't locked out, either, accredited representatives can register them and issue a claim link, and the moment the artisan claims it, they take full ownership.
Patron, free
Discovery, at no cost
Save artisans, send connection requests, view up to five full profiles.
Patron Pro, paid
Where ANAAR's revenue comes from
Unlimited views, direct messaging, a private artisan database, CSV export.
Impact
Typical approach
- Documentation fragmented across programs
- No way to verify a record across a border
- Trust depends on taking one party's word for it
- Offline artisans excluded, or represented without control
With ANAAR
- One profile, one taxonomy, anchored and portable
- Identity hash independently checkable, on-chain
- Trust doesn't depend on ANAAR staying in business
- Representatives onboard offline artisans; ownership transfers on claim
Discovery and credibility today, capital tomorrow: as the network grows, brands will be able to commission and pay artisans directly, on the same identity already anchored to their immutable and self-sovereign ID, without an intermediary taking a cut for the introduction.