New Clothing! Handspun, Handwoven Cloth — Steeped in Tradition
There’s a kind of ‘je ne sais quoi’ when it comes to hand spun, hand woven cloth - it carries a vibrance, rich in character. It tells a story, one of long lineages in artisan craft and skill.
At Maiwa, we always jump at the opportunity to work with handspun, handwoven cloth, not just because it feels magnificent, but because of it’s deep history rooted in cultural self sufficiency in India, bringing power back into the hands of the people.
This capsule of effortless natural garments exhibits both the unmistakable beauty of handspinning and handweaving, paired with the tried and true sustainable fibre, kala cotton. Kala cotton is an “old world” indigenous cotton which is adapted to low water requirements and extremely arid conditions. It is ecologically sustainable and makes the most exquisite cotton cloth.
THE KALA COTTON STORY
Cotton grows naturally in India. Up until the 1750s two indigenous varieties predominated: Gossypium arboreum (known as "tree cotton") and gossypium herbaceum (known as Lavant cotton). Unlike conventional cotton, these varieties were native to the region and were well adapted to the climate. These fibres show up in textiles from the Kachchh region dating back thousands of years.
More importantly, these local varieties were ecologically sustainable. They had adapted to low water requirements and extremely arid conditions. However, they did not integrate well with industrial machinery and so were neglected. Today these "old world" cottons are being revived and incorporated into handmade textiles where they are once again appreciated as the fibres that can be spun into the threads that make the most exquisite cotton cloth.
To our U.S. customers – don't forget that the exchange rate works in your favour, it's like an extra discount.
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