LOCAL PRACTICES
“As consumers, we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy.” – Emma Watson
Traditional processes & techniques celebrate the knowledge of the ages and reflect them through the skills of our artisans and growers. Their intuitive understanding of the natural harmony between the nature of geography, the seasons and the resources coalesce into a symphony of human evolution and art. For ages, Indian materials & handicrafts have been celebrated and valued, and influenced all cultures.
This uniqueness and flavor of India, is slowly being undermined due to the monotony and noise of industrial and mass production, which is rapidly replacing the indigenous and native knowledge with a monotony and coldness of machine-made lives.
The modern context has made us realize that what’s good for the environment and for nature, is invariably also good for us. Hence, our core respect and attitude are reflected in the techniques that we adopt. We are blown away by the skills that have withstood this tide of consumerism, and we bring to it a collaboration with the best design minds in the country, working with remote tribes and their ingenious and intuitive understanding of materials and their transformation into objects of daily life for a global sensitivity.
MATERIALS:
We ensure that the Materials we use are created without toxins or unnatural processes and are good for you.
Pashmina
A Royal allure.
One of the most sought-after fabrics in the world, the wool that is used in weaving the Pashmina Shawl is obtained from the Changthangi Goat found in Ladakh. This goat is exotic and is only found there, 15000 feet above sea level in Ladakh - Jammu and Kashmir, making the art of weaving Pashmina even rarer and revered all over the world.
Originating from a place where winter temperatures drop to -40 degree Celsius, our Pashmina products are completely handknit in Jhiri and Lug Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Pashmina is an extremely difficult fabric to work with and what we see as an alluring piece of luxury has very humble beginnings. Weaving a single piece of Pashmina involves a multitude of herders and craftspeople and helps sustain an economic mountain ecosystem.
Sheep Wool
That Himalayan Freshness.
The sheep of the Himalayas are a sight to behold. Their rhythmic grazing and herds of white evoke a peace and calm that can barely be expressed in words. It is best exemplified by the feeling you get the first time you touch a garment made from excellent, natural wool.
Wool is an active fibre that reacts to changes in body temperature. It helps you stay warm when the weather is cold, and cool when the weather is hot. Another feature that makes wool a favourite is wool absorbs all odour molecules and only releases them upon washing. On top of that, you don’t need to wash it each time you wear it. Just hang it in the open air and enjoy it again the next day.
Sheep wool is superb when it comes to fire safety. Wool is flame resistant due to its naturally high nitrogen and water content which in turn also makes it biodegradable.
And all it takes to make this amazing material are sunlight, water, grass and the sheep that live harmoniously amidst.
Merino Wool
The finest hair on the planet.
With fibres that are 20% the diameter of human hair, merino wool is breathable, incredibly soft and is a perennial all-season wear. Evolved over years to combat the coldest and harshest conditions in the Himalayas, Merino Wool is naturally water-repellent and UV-resistant.
Another feature that makes Merino wool a favourite is the fact that it is not as itchy as regular wool. Merino wool absorbs all odour molecules and only releases them upon washing. On top of that, you don’t need to wash it each time you’ve worn it. Just hang it in the open air and enjoy it again the next day.
Hemp
There’s a reason they call it can-nabis, not can’t-abis.
From the ridges of Gadagushaini to the meadows of Kullu Valley, hemp has been a traditional resource for communities across Himachal. Made using fibers from the stalk of the Cannabis Sativa plant, it is one of the first plants to be spun and its use can be traced back 50,000 years. Evolving from its ancient usage to its application as a high-tech material, hemp is a plant that keeps on giving.
Why should you wear clothing made of hemp?
Contrary to popular assumptions, the hemp fabric is not meant to make ropes and baskets only, it can very well be constructed into beautiful, versatile fabrics.
A lot of fabrics lose their luster and color after a few wears because they cannot withstand the harsh rays of the sun. Hemp, on the other hand, is known for absorbing the UV rays and does not tarnish easily. You can wear it all year around and its hydrophobic properties ensure that spills and splashes are no longer a problem. Hemp can also be blended with other natural fibers like wool and cotton to create beautiful natural blends.
Hemp epitomizes sustainability. It grows with minimum care, requires little water and every part of the plant is used - even the waste husk and leaves have traditionally been used as natural fertilizers and we are now exploring handmade paper making techniques to use the waste husk to make 100%recycled hemp paper.
Hemp Wool
The best of both worlds.
with other natural fibers like wool to create clothing with the durability of hemp and the warmth of wool. Wool and hemp together make up the most sustainable yarn that you can get- one that is super comfortable, breathable and antibacterial.
Hemp Cotton
As breezy as it gets
A combination of two materials that beautifully complement each other, our Hemp-Cotton blend is airy and light with a beautiful fall that only gets softer and better with every wash. The sheen of hemp lends itself to all the garments while cotton adds a softness and an understated elegance.
Angora
A trip to Wonderland.
Made from the hairs of the Angora rabbit, Angora wool is softer, silkier and finer than Cashmere. A fibre so fine that it’s usually blended with other fibres because by itself it’s considered too fine to hold the dense stitches of knitting.
It is believed to be seven times warmer than Sheep wool and makes for the perfect winter wear when blended with complementary fibres. Angora wool fibres are small in diameter but have air-filled chambers that give them warmth without weight. The fibre also transmits moisture readily, meaning that garments feel dry, warm and comfortable and also offer great therapeutic benefits along with a unique, fashionable look.
ARTISTRY
Handloom
Of all traditional Himachali crafts and cultural heritage, Handloom weaving is arguably one of the richest and most vibrant aspects. Practiced across the state, this technique has been used to make the famous Kullu Shawls and caps.
The process starts with creating a graph for the pattern and then adjusting the motif according to the number of threads in a warp. An extremely time-consuming technique, a regular stole has 1860 which varies with the count of the yarn. In addition, warping and replicating the motifs are time-intensive exercises which make each piece a truly handcrafted souvenir.
Taking the same technique and adapting the patterns and design to suit a modern sensibility, the local weavers, besides following their ancestral traditions and skills, are now making products that are a blend of traditional techniques and modern sensibilities - the best of both worlds.
Hand Knit
Handknitting is more than just a craft in the Himalayas, it is also an integral part of life. Derived from the Dutch verb ’knutten’, meaning ‘to knot’ its origin lies in the basic human need for clothing for protection against the elements.
Our knits in wool and hemp are all kinds of special. Owing to the introduction of sustainable wool like Angora, merino and hemp, our products are kind to the community and kind to the environment. It also ensures that all our knitted products are better for you and filled with that natural goodness and all the properties that these materials inherit.
Hand knitted by women in the Himalayas, our focus is on putting the power back into the hands of our women by making them financially independent; invariably giving them more agency in the societal context.
Hand Spinning:
Our garments are made using local practices that shape cultures and we work with people who carry forward this artistry.
Hand spinning is one such art. It involves the twisting of fibre or fleece into a continuous thread by using a spinning wheel or drop spindle. The hand spinning process is less abrasive to the wool; more of the natural oils are retained and less fibres are broken. This produces a wool that is more resilient and garments made of handspun wool last longer & wear better.
An extremely labour-intensive exercise, the women do it with a grace and finesse that baffles us every time. The love that they pour into the process reflects in the products that they create and we’ve been blessed to have had the opportunity to work with such amazing women.
Hand Flatbed Knitting:
Another traditional practice where the perfect tool meets the apt maker, hand flat-bed knitting is practised extensively around Kullu and in Lug Valley. A faster method of knitting, the flat-bed technique is very versatile and allows for intricate patterns and fine details with accuracy. This technique is used for our hemp and woollen products that feature complex knits and motifs.
A Flat Bed knitting machine consists of 2 flat needle beds arranged in an upside-down "V" formation. A carriage, also known as a Cambox or Head, moves backwards and forwards across these needle beds, working the needles to selectively, knit, tuck or transfer stitches.
