Uttarakhand – a mountain state is blessed with a bounty of natural resources – fresh air, dense oak forests and crystal clear water streams. Unfortunately, this natural abundance is being affected by extreme weather conditions caused by climate change, depletion of water table due to increase in population and poor access to basic necessities of life like healthcare and education.
Sustainable Material
Through our work, we propose a locally fuelled model of sustainable development. Indigenous raw materials like Harsil wool, Tibetan wool, nettle, hemp and dyestuffs sourced from local farming communities are used to craft our apparel. Ahimsa or Eri silk which is a variety of silk obtained without harming the silk worms, indigenous old world cotton – a more resilient and less water consuming variety of cotton grown without any synthetic fertilizers in arid climatic conditions and Merino wool imported from New Zealand are combined with the indigenous fibres to enhance their comfort and aesthetic appeal. A similar synthesis is applied in crafting the products where local craft skills like handloom weaving and knitting are ingeniously merged.
Ecological Consciousness
We make conscious effort towards conservation of natural resources and leaving a light carbon footprint in the process.Harvested rain water heated with solar energy is used for natural dyeing.
Hand done processes like hand stitching, hand spinning, etc. are used wherever possible to utilize the unlimited human energy and reduce our dependence upon machines and non-renewable sources of energy.
Earth-friendly chemicals and materials are used for the processing of textile materials.
Preservation of Traditional Skills
Primarily working on a decentralised model, we engage women artisans who are looking for opportunities to support their families economically by a means that lets them work from their homes.This framework guides our entire design process at the studio, where it is our constant effort is to develop products which are easy to interpret and process by the makers, and in return let them earn a sustainable livelihood, infusing a sense of pride and confidence in the humble craft they produce.
Attending to every detail of the production from raw materials to spinning, natural dyeing, weaving and knitting, the community of women artisans make their work live as part of the Uttarakhand landscape.The women artisans of the hills employ their dexterous hands to create clothes and accessories from the fabric of our organisation.A similar synthesis is applied in crafting the products where local craft skills like handloom weaving and knitting are ingeniously merged with hand embroidery, beadwork, shibori, etc.
As an atelier, our attempt is to propagate aesthetics in the local craft vocabulary by allowing the craftsmen to experiment and explore their skills with pure and natural materials, bringing them a dimension closer to the actual craft tradition of the area that has probably gone extinct due to the invasive synthetic material culture.
We nurture the hands, and the hearts of people to provide a fair means of livelihood. Respecting and improving skills we are sharing a journey that proposes to be sustainable.