Craftsmanship in Cotton.

Techniques become traditions as more hands join in practicing them

Since 3000 BC, in the Harappan civilization, a crop nurtured the lives and livelihood of the people who farmed and wove it. These indigenous plants, known as the "old world cotton", were the only ones grown and woven in India up until the 1750s.

Defining more than just its usage, this drought and pest-resilient crop was a boon for the desert communities who, in turn, perfected the art of working with it. This practice lasted up to the 1750s and later on sparked the movement for self-reliance and freedom.

Practiced widely, these old-world cottons were truly woven with the fabric of the peoples' traditions and livelihoods.

Growing in arid regions made this rain-fed (40cm annually) plant naturally tolerant against both disease and pests. Requiring no additional fertilizers or pesticides and growing with minimal water, it was truly the sustenance of cultures, traditions, and a way of living.

Rooted in techniques that sparked the movement for self-reliance and freedom, Khamir crafts, a social initiative, developed kala cotton after the devastating Bhuj earthquake in 2001. This amazing fabric soon became a revival of practices that encapsulated our national legacy of making cloth from the first step to the last.

This material now travels to our hands in the Himalayas, through hands that echo the same practices. It finds its abode amidst the blossoms, babbling through the brooks, high above the clouds.

We celebrate this road from the deserts to the mountains.

Designer’s note: 

There is freedom waiting for you, in the breezes of the sky.

Design is a language. From the initial sketches to the pieces coming to life - each stroke, each cut, each stitch is as important to the process as letters are to language. The handwoven fabric, too, speaks. Making the why, the how, and the what behind every little detail. The design and the fabric speak in harmony - it breathes naturally just like you want it to.

This collection is designed for an Indian Summer.

The colors that inspire the stories, forms, and patterns, all tell the tale of a dream from the Reds of the earth to the blue in the skies. We've always been passionate about introducing and working on new ideas, mindful techniques, and amazing materials with our #artisan

 The journey to finding the right practices and techniques that add value to the beautiful materials leads us to amazing places and allows us to interact with the custodians of breathtaking skill and traditions. This merger of Design meeting the Artisan world - the Urban cohorts with Tradition to offer a newer, better world more natural world.

This intermingling gives this age-old craft their due, refreshes them, and rejuvenates the ones practicing it with new vigor - ideas that grow with their skill and address the challenges of a modern world.

The practices we adopt tell the story of the newer free flow of life. One that constantly ebbs and moves towards a brighter future.