We work with weaving communities to create our own hand loomed cloth. We collaborate with expert dyers, master block printers and intricate hand embroiders, bringing our values into our clothes.
We work with weaving communities to create our own hand loomed cloth. Our team of artisan weavers transform our farmed cotton fibres into textiles designed specially for our own collections. We develop textiles ourselves including hand woven flannels, selvedge denim and textured khadi slub, recreating traditional weaves but using long staple yarn for greater durability and quality.
Sekar - Weaver
Sekar is a highly skilled master weaver. He started at the age of 20 and is the third generation of his family to uphold this traditional craft. It is both a skill and an ancestral duty to keep his craft alive and develop his mastery of advanced techniques like jacquard, weaving intricate and complex patterns into cloth. He's been weaving for 40 years and is expert at a range of techniques. He has recently developed a beautiful mudstone flannel for Oshadi.
We work with expert dyers to make bespoke colour palettes using local plants like indigo, pomegranate and madder. We also work with mineral pigments from earthy shades of red clay, raw umber and yellow ochre. Plant pigments are extracted from roots, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds and bark to create vibrant, natural dyes. These change each season depending on the temperature, rain levels and evolving environment, resulting in a wide range of shades for each dye. Plant dyeing is best used on natural fibres such as cotton, wool, hemp, linen and silk and requires delicate care. There may be discrepancies on the surface of the fabric which is a natural part of the process.
IKAT
Ikat is a dyeing technique originating from Indonesia and uses resist dyeing to keep some parts of the fabric from absorbing the pigments. The yarn is then weaved by hand to create the delicate patterns, most commonly in chevron and diamond designs.
Block printing is a traditional technique still practiced in some parts of India where patterns, shapes and designs are hand carved by artisans into a wooden block. The natural pigments are then applied on the raised surfaces of the block and pressed onto the fabric to create a unique design. Although there are many types of block printing depending on the area and heritage of the craftspeople, we regularly use direct dye printing achieved in four steps: block printing, dyeing, washing and drying to achieve our beautiful prints We also collaborate with master block printers using ancient mud resist techniques to incorporate motifs that are important to us. In this technique, the mud will keep the dye from penetrating the fabric – before the dyeing and washing is done.
We use hand embroidery to embellish our clothes, bringing our values into our garments. For example, our ‘Cultivating Hands’ logo is a subtle reminder of the craft that is at the heart of our work. Hand embroidery is slow, considered work, with many different styles which differ from region to region.
We sew offcuts and deadstock fabrics into a larger garment design to prevent waste and add a unique character to our pieces. Patchwork can also be employed to hide holes or sign of wear and tear and give garments a longer life. We also use appliqué , a type of patchwork where the piece of fabric is cut into a design and sewn on a garment by hand or machine embroidery.
Our quilting is done using our own cotton wadding inside. A traditional technique is used to make functional, contemporary pieces.