Process

Our block prints are made by 7th generation master printers in the village of Bagru, India, where hand block printing has been practiced for 300 years. Each part of the process takes place in this community: block carving, dyeing, printing, washing, and ironing using heritage methods. 

Blocks are carved by hand onto teak wood, which are then used to “stamp” fabric laid out on long tables with the design. Sun and dry heat are crucial, as are minerals used in the water to wash the fabric, to get the color and print to appear as expected. Drips and edges of the block are sometimes obvious in the fabric (and occasionally evidence of a cow or dog running over the fabric in a field!), which are normal and add to their story.

There are several printing methods used by the master printers including dabu (mud printing), resist (blind printing onto dyed fabrics to remove dye for the print), and screen (using large screens for intricate designs). Natural elements are used throughout the process, including madder, mustard, iron, and more.

Nature and history play major roles in all methods, adding to the unique beauty of the process and end result.

A heritage craft that has been practiced for hundreds of years, handloom weaving often takes place in the homes of weavers in rural villages. Each part of the multi-step process is done by members of the local community without the aid of electricity. By eliminating heavy, pollutive machinery, we are not only reducing the impact on our planet, but also creating local jobs and honoring an incredible tradition.

Mechanization and mass production has diminished the demand for handlooms, but no machine can replicate the handfeel and some of the motifs of these breathable fabrics. Thousands of yarns are set up on the wooden loom by hand after being starched in the streets for durability. Each weft yarn is woven with the aid of a shuttle and pedals. The rhythm of handlooms can be heard all day walking down the streets of weaving villages.

Khadi is a traditional Indian textile made through a labor-intensive process of creating handspun yarns and then hand looming them into fabrics. The result is a fabric with a lofty and textured feel similar to linen.

Khadi has valuable environmental and social impacts. Manufacturing khadi is a sustainable process with zero carbon footprint that doesn’t require electricity or machines. Creation of khadi fuels the spirit and economy of small communities by providing jobs for skilled weavers.

As the yarn is spun, bits in the environment get caught in the fibers and become part of the yarn. “Kitties” are inherently part of khadi fabric and aren’t seen as defects. We love this unique effect that adds to the texture. Stripes and motifs vary slightly from weaver to weaver, a reminder of the hands involved in the creation.

Jamdani is a special form of handloom weaving that takes great technical skill, known for its “light as air” feel. It is woven in the homes of weavers in small villages of West Bengal.

Native to this region, jamdani weavers create the motifs, or “buti,” using needle and thread while the fabric itself is being woven on the handloom. Motifs are woven by sight, and each one varies a bit depending on the weaver. The nuances of these beautiful motifs typically cannot be replicated by machine. The entire process, from prepping the yarns to washing the finished fabrics, takes place without electricity.

Indigo is a natural dye derived from the neel plant. The pattern on the fabric is hand block printed using the dabu, or mud printing, method, where mud is stamped and sawdust is applied to create a barrier before the fabric is dipped in the indigo vat.

The indigo vat is a deep hole in the ground that stays throughout the year. Pomegranate is a key element to get the right tone. Repeat dips in the vat create a darker color so determining the exact shade is based on feel.

After drying in the sun, the mud barrier is washed off, revealing the print. More washing and drying set the dye and give it the final look. The color of the blue varies a bit piece to piece, and the method creates a unique dimension of the color, which is all part of the beauty. The depth of color and veins in the fabric can’t be replicated with synthetic dyes, creating a one of a kind look.

Ikat is a form of handloom weaving where yarns are bundled, wrapped, and tie dyed before being set on the loom and hand loomed.

This type of handloom weaving takes incredible planning to create motifs on the loom with the warp and weft specially dyed in order to create the desired design and spacing. The yarns are laid out, marked with a geometric design, bound to form a barrier to the dye, dyed, then again laid out in the desired pattern on the loom.

Made in small family workshops in Peru, our knitwear represents the entrepreneurial spirit of knitters who have invested in their own infrastructure in order to continue the craft tradition passed down to them for generations. Their work is dignified, well-paid, and allows parents, especially women, to work consistently and from home. Our hand knitted pieces are made completely by hand by women knitters.

Our yarns are made from a traceable Peruvian baby alpaca blend. The wool is sheared responsibly from mountain-roaming alpaca in the Andes and is known for its softness and low pill. These yarns come from socially and environmentally responsible sources. Our wool is OEKO-TEX certified and our Pima cotton is GOTS certified.