OPEN CALL
Artisans of the Sacred for LILA Souk
Calling all makers, guardians of sacred crafts, and traditional artisans
This Fall, LILA invites artisans, makers, and tradition-bearers from around the world to join the founding circle of the LILA Souk — a curated online marketplace for sacred offerings, devotional crafts, and objects of beauty and meaning.
About LILA Souk
More than commerce, this is for cultural preservation, beauty, and devotion to be made tangible.
Our vision for the LILA Souk is a living gallery of sacred traditions, a place where ritual meets craft, and handmade objects travel across borders without losing their soul.
From prayer beads and sacred calligraphy to ancestral textiles, incense blends, and healing balms, each item tells a story of lineage and devotion.
LILA curates the marketplace; artisans fulfill orders directly.
Who We’re Looking For
We’re seeking:
Artisans and craftspersons rooted in a sacred or ancestral tradition
Contemporary makers creating devotional objects with authenticity and reverence
Foragers and alchemists working with sacred scents, oils, incense, and healing balms
Artisans who have experience selling and shipping internationally
What We’re Looking For
Handmade Objects that tell a story of their spiritual or cultural lineage
Ethically made by you with cultural respect & consent
Small batches ready for fulfillment directly to customers
If your craft bridges the realms of art, spirituality, and cultural preservation, we would love to amplify your work and share it with our global community.
We welcome:
How It Works
1. Apply & Share Your Work by November 1st
2. Curated Selection
Our team will carefully reviews submissions. We will curate a diverse collection of objects and offerings that reflect the richness of sacred traditions around the world. Selected artisans will be invited into the founding circle of the LILA Souk.
3. We Set Up Your Work & The Story of Your Craft in the Souk
We set up your offerings in the Souk and take care of all design and marketing — letting you focus on making while we share your story with a global audience.
4. The Community Orders Through LILA
Customers browse the Souk, discover your work, and place orders directly through our platform.
5. You Fulfill the Order
Once an order comes in, you package and ship it directly to the customer from your studio, with care and integrity.
6. Revenue & Commission
You automatically keep 80% of every sale. LILA retains a 20% commission to sustain the Souk and support our nonprofit mission.
Why Join the Souk?
Global Exposure: Reach LILA’s worldwide community of seekers and lovers of sacred art. And instead of having to handle outreach alone, artisans benefit from LILA’s storytelling, audience reach, and promotion across social media, newsletters, and collaborations.
Mission-Driven Platform: Support a devotional arts platform that is about more than commerce, it is cultural preservation, beauty, and devotion made tangible.
Aligned Values & Cross Cultural Exchange: The Souk creates a shared space of visibility and mutual inspiration. Artisans can trust that their work will be presented in a way that honors its lineage and intent, with cultural consent and integrity at the core of curation.
Fair Revenue: Keep 80% of sales revenue. You maintain full ownership of your work and your creative vision.
Curated Marketplace: Be part of a story-rich, carefully curated marketplace that highlights the meaning behind each object and the hands that created it.
Submission & Eligibility Guidelines
To honor the integrity of the LILA Souk, we ask that all applicants carefully review these guidelines before submitting:
✓ For Artisans Only
Submissions must come directly from the maker. You must be applying with your own handmade creations. Distributors, resellers, or mass-production shops will not be accepted.
✓ Cultural Integrity
If your work is rooted in your own ancestral or cultural lineage, please share its context.
If your work draws on a tradition that is not your own, you must have clear consent or collaboration with the community or tradition-bearers from which it comes.
✓ Handmade & Ethical Craft
All objects must be handmade with care and respect.
Works must be ethically sourced and produced.
Submissions involving restricted ceremonial items, materials from endangered or protected species, or human remains will not be accepted.
✓ Transparency of Production
Applicants must disclose:
– The volume of handmade production they can realistically fulfill
– Their average processing times before shipping
– Any limitations on international shipping or customs requirements
✓ Fulfillment & Shipping
Applicants are responsible for packaging, labeling, and shipping orders directly to customers.
Tracking information should be provided whenever possible.
✓ Ownership & Rights
You must have full ownership over the work being submitted. If your product is a collaboration with another artisan - submit a joint application. You will continue to retain full ownership of your work and creative vision. By submitting, you grant LILA a non-exclusive license to feature your work in the LILA Souk and related editorial storytelling.
✓ Respect & Alignment
We reserve the right to decline submissions that do not align with LILA’s mission of honoring sacred traditions with respect, beauty, and devotion.
Applications Close: November 1, 2025
Have any questions? Get in touch with us.
More than a call for submissions, this is an invitation to join a global circle of makers, artisans, and tradition-bearers sharing the sacred through craft.
Together, we can honor, preserve, and uplift the beauty of devotional arts, ensuring these practices and objects continue to inspire and nourish our communities.