How we source
To truly explain how we source, we would have to explain Indian handlooms to you. Which is a great place to start, except that understanding Indian handlooms is a life's work....
To truly explain how we source, we would have to explain Indian handlooms to you. Which is a great place to start, except that understanding Indian handlooms is a life's work.
There is geography to understand, each state has its own tradition and technique.
There is history to understand. The blending of craft traditions when the Mughals came. The creation of wealth and value when Indian muslin and chintz became prized commodities as the trade routes to the East were established. The suppression of craft and native cotton when the British colonised India.
There is local and global economics to understand. And social demographics, anthropology, age caste, inheritance ....
It might, then, just be simpler to explain to you that our founder, Rajeswari (Raji) Rama, has Indian handlooms woven right into her DNA. Originally weavers, her family went on to establish a textile house that is now 5 decades old. Her childhood vacations were spent in weaving villages which she later revisited to source fabrics when she worked for the family business.
But when it comes to Indian textiles, just an intuitive understanding is not enough. So Raji studied Indian handlooms and visited museums all over the world that house vintage Indian fabrics like precious artifacts - behind panes of glass.
All of which goes to say, Raji knows authentic, traditional and exceptional handlooms when she sees them. And knowing that the fabrics she has read about and seen in museums are still being made in Indian villages, she is determined to bring them out into our vital, living world.
For our first collections, Raji worked with two clusters from West Bengal to source Muslin, Khadi and Jamdani. Of the experience of wandering through the villages of West Bengal, she says, “Sometimes finding a bathroom was more challenging than finding a muslin weaver! But jokes aside, these weavers are continuing a centuries old tradition and yet they were so willing to collaborate and experiment with me. It was a privilege to work with them!”
The muslin is 200 count and amongst the finest and softest muslin being produced in India or Bangladesh.
The jamdani is almost divine in the finesse of its weave and the delicacy of its motifs.
The khadi is not rugged, as you might expect, but soft and breathable, with a lovely drape.
In this world of AI and simulated experiences, we wish we could figure out a way for you to touch our fabric and slide it against your skin.
Because once you have done that, it will be all that matters.
