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Meet the designers who believe in giving back to the earth while creating new collections

5 contemporary labels who are using indigenous textiles mindfully

Meet the designers who believe in giving back to the earth while creating new collections

The fascination with fabric is what inspires many artists and designers to create collections that boast of their creative abilities and the possibilities with experimentation. In a country like India—which has a rich heritage of handloom and textiles—it becomes imperative, now more than ever, thanks to the serious threat of climate change, to make use of the resources we already have while being mindful. From using seed-to-sew concepts to creating natural dyes out of flora and fauna, these textile designers are playing an important role when it comes to the idea of leading a sustainable and conscious ecosystem in the fashion industry. Next time you want to indulge in some retail therapy, check out these five homegrown labels instead of scrolling through the websites of international mass-produced brands.

Maku Textiles:Founded in 2011 by Santanu Das, Maku centres around Das’ love and appreciation for the process of indigo dyeing. As a nod to his Bengali heritage, the designer began his journey to revive traditional, hand-woven jamdani and Tangail fabrics after graduating from the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad and working at Lori Weitzner Design Inc, a wallcovering design studio in New York City. Eleven years later, Maku Textiles is not only known for their khadi, linens, muslins and jamdani in a raw and organic colour palette, but has also found a foothold with a global audience through pop-ups in Zurich, New York, Japan and Paris. For the domestic market, the brand’s sub-division, Maku Kameez and Maku Men, offers luxurious fabrics like brocades, silks and satins in a variety of silhouettes, including kurtas, sarees, shirts and trousers.Instagram: @makutextiles

Maku Textiles:

Founded in 2011 by Santanu Das, Maku centres around Das’ love and appreciation for the process of indigo dyeing. As a nod to his Bengali heritage, the designer began his journey to revive traditional, hand-woven jamdani and Tangail fabrics after graduating from the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad and working at Lori Weitzner Design Inc, a wallcovering design studio in New York City. Eleven years later, Maku Textiles is not only known for their khadi, linens, muslins and jamdani in a raw and organic colour palette, but has also found a foothold with a global audience through pop-ups in Zurich, New York, Japan and Paris. For the domestic market, the brand’s sub-division, Maku Kameez and Maku Men, offers luxurious fabrics like brocades, silks and satins in a variety of silhouettes, including kurtas, sarees, shirts and trousers.

Instagram:@makutextiles

RaasLeela:This Gujarat-based all-women label is spearheaded by Hetal Shrivastav, a graduate from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, who started RaasLeela in 2013. Shrivastav’s USP lies in the fact that each of their products, from pockets and buttons to dresses and quilts, are all hand-stitched by local artisans, some as old as over 60 years. With the ethos of sustainability as the core of the label, the only fabric RaasLeela uses is raw Kora cotton which is process-free, bleach- free and dye-free. The brand also believes in the importance of upcycling and refraining from creating waste by running a zero-waste production unit. Their Instagram feed predominantly features their artisans and weavers, along with glimpses of their lives at a production unit that values fair wages and ethical work practices, unlike some of the horror stories we’ve read of manufacturing units employed by fast fashion brands.Instagram: @raasleelatextile

RaasLeela:

This Gujarat-based all-women label is spearheaded by Hetal Shrivastav, a graduate from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, who started RaasLeela in 2013. Shrivastav’s USP lies in the fact that each of their products, from pockets and buttons to dresses and quilts, are all hand-stitched by local artisans, some as old as over 60 years. With the ethos of sustainability as the core of the label, the only fabric RaasLeela uses is raw Kora cotton which is process-free, bleach- free and dye-free. The brand also believes in the importance of upcycling and refraining from creating waste by running a zero-waste production unit. Their Instagram feed predominantly features their artisans and weavers, along with glimpses of their lives at a production unit that values fair wages and ethical work practices, unlike some of the horror stories we’ve read of manufacturing units employed by fast fashion brands.

Instagram:@raasleelatextile

Kokūn:Kokūn is the result of Mridu Mehra’s love and appreciation for nature, from which she intuitively draws inspiration. You’ll find unbleached handloom fabrics like organic cotton and hemp being printed by hand using natural dyes made from roots, seeds, flowers, leaves and berries—glimpses of which you can find on their Instagram account. Since the label believes in slow and small-batch production, each piece is created by hand, which, in turn, results in something unique, unlike the mass-produced collections that are launched by fast fashion brands every month. Their zero-waste project Shoonya strives for a more circular design process, where the label upcycles swatches from their dyeing experiments and fabric leftovers to create a unique rendition of nature.Instagram: @kokun.india

Kokūn:

Kokūn is the result of Mridu Mehra’s love and appreciation for nature, from which she intuitively draws inspiration. You’ll find unbleached handloom fabrics like organic cotton and hemp being printed by hand using natural dyes made from roots, seeds, flowers, leaves and berries—glimpses of which you can find on their Instagram account. Since the label believes in slow and small-batch production, each piece is created by hand, which, in turn, results in something unique, unlike the mass-produced collections that are launched by fast fashion brands every month. Their zero-waste project Shoonya strives for a more circular design process, where the label upcycles swatches from their dyeing experiments and fabric leftovers to create a unique rendition of nature.

Instagram:@kokun.india

Ōshadi:Founded by Nishant Chopra in 2016, ‘Ōshadi’ translates into ‘essence of nature’ or 'healing plant’ in Sanskrit. With the desire to nurture and protect the earth, Chopra started cultivating a new fashion system, one that is rooted in ancient Indian agricultural practices and artisan heritage, with a 50-acre regenerative cotton farm following a seed-to-sew concept. Their collection draws inspiration from the simplicity of architectural designs which are reflected in their dresses, shirts and jackets. Chopra also collaborated with like-minded designers and brands, including US-based label Christy Dawn, who are looking to adopt sustainable practices into their clothing businesses.Instagram: @oshadi_collective

Ōshadi:

Founded by Nishant Chopra in 2016, ‘Ōshadi’ translates into ‘essence of nature’ or 'healing plant’ in Sanskrit. With the desire to nurture and protect the earth, Chopra started cultivating a new fashion system, one that is rooted in ancient Indian agricultural practices and artisan heritage, with a 50-acre regenerative cotton farm following a seed-to-sew concept. Their collection draws inspiration from the simplicity of architectural designs which are reflected in their dresses, shirts and jackets. Chopra also collaborated with like-minded designers and brands, including US-based label Christy Dawn, who are looking to adopt sustainable practices into their clothing businesses.

Instagram:@oshadi_collective

Kalki:Karunya Rajan uses textile as a medium to play with colours, which you can easily see in her collections that feature a plain, solid, usually white background with brightly coloured embroidered patches. Based in Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu, Rajan spearheads a design studio that involves the local communities of farmers and artisans. The brand’s moody Instagram account gives insights into the pictorial moodboard that Rajan gets inspired by, from a mishmash of colours to everyday objects and nature. Last year, the designer also started a café at the foothills of the Nilgiris to showcase her collections over plates of idli-vada and pancakes.Instagram: @kalkico

Kalki:

Karunya Rajan uses textile as a medium to play with colours, which you can easily see in her collections that feature a plain, solid, usually white background with brightly coloured embroidered patches. Based in Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu, Rajan spearheads a design studio that involves the local communities of farmers and artisans. The brand’s moody Instagram account gives insights into the pictorial moodboard that Rajan gets inspired by, from a mishmash of colours to everyday objects and nature. Last year, the designer also started a café at the foothills of the Nilgiris to showcase her collections over plates of idli-vada and pancakes.

Instagram:@kalkico

Also Read: How Raw Mango brings Indian textiles to life through visual storytelling

Also Read: This exhibition looks at India’s 75-year textile legacy with innovation as the focus

Also Read: Fashion label 11:11/ eleven eleven is giving natural dyes a bold, vibrant spin for their 2022 Autumn/Winter collection

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