Designer and painter Melina Filkenstein shares her process of working with the crafts community globally and comments on the rise of an aesthetic in the Bay area, California.

Textile brand inspired by Nostalgia

Textile based Fashion retail in India

Hema Shroff Patel, Founder of Amba, began her exploration into the world of weaving as a self-taught craft artist. Her love for handlooms stems from her love for simple handwoven cotton fabric, which she used to make pyjama sets for her children.

Kavita Parmar is the Founder and Creative Director of The IOWEYOU Project focused on producing unique, handmade apparel based on handwoven fabrics from India as well as the Curator of XTANT that brings the best of the world textile makers under one roof. Her understanding of traditional textiles with a cultural context makes her practice unique and exciting at the same time. We had the pleasure to speak to her and understand her thought process on textiles from Mexico and India.

While design continues to be the most popular profession within textiles, I have always been intrigued by curators and cultural entrepreneurs looking at textile anthropology, and their involvement with the artisan communities in many ways. Two such projects that are rooted in textiles communities from geographies that are miles apart caught my focus. We spoke with women entrepreneurs from different walks within textiles from Mexico and Lebanon.

When I think of Indian contemporary textiles, I think of Neeru Kumar’s contribution since the 1990s. An Indian designer who has experimented with traditional weaving and surface techniques like ikat, tussar and shibori (to name a few) to create globally relevant versatile silhouettes, Neeru Kumar continues to innovate within textile experimentations in fashion and home. Interestingly, I had been following Namrata Kumar’s work that explore silhouettes, Indian interiors and portraits in warm acrylic and oil colours, and had to interview the creative mother- daughter duo. They speak about their journeys, process and cultural influences.

Sanjay Garg is the founder of Raw Mango, an Indian brand synonymous with quality Indian wear made with traditional textiles. He started the brand more than ten years ago in Chanderi, with only four weavers. The present-day workspace and showroom is housed at Chattarpur in South Delhi.

We speak to Chinar Farooqui of Injiri at her studio in Jaipur, about her process and vision for Indian contemporary clothing.

Finding a balance between intricate embroideries and maximalist Indian attires celebrating the grandeur of motifs and colours in contrast to minimalist textural delicate weaves for everyday wear is a task only some designers are able to master. Staying true to both these schools of Indian textiles, Deepshika Khanna creates clothing that is versatile and timeless.

Her recent project as the Creative Director of Flow by Goodearth introduced a range of practical clothing for the working women, using sustainable Indian handmade fabrics composed in modern silhouettes. I have been intrigued by Deepshikha’s keen eye for colour and textures since she last collaborated with Good Earth for the Sindhu Collection.

I grew up with crafts. Our home, and my grandparents homes, were full of handmade handwoven Indian art and craft, even when many Indian interiors were still full of European velvet, lace and chandeliers!