Abhilasha Bahuguna was living in a rented accommodation in New Delhi in 2013 when she heard her landlady bargaining intensely with a Kashmiri pashmina trader. This led her into thinking that if the artisans could form a cooperative, they wouldn’t have to succumb to such bargaining acts again. That thought culminated into Looms of Ladakh, “a farm-to-fashion, herder-artisan-owned brand” that specialises in pashmina products.
While pashmina is a big win for the Kashmiri artisanal mastery, not many are aware that the raw material comes from Changpas, a tribal group from Ladakh, who brave the harsh climate, at an altitude of 4,000-5,000 metres, rear the pashmina goats and obtain the wool. Kashmir won all the accolades but Ladakh was reduced to a raw material hub.
“While you cannot discount the fact that the world got to know about pashmina through the Kashmiri artisans, there is also the sentiment of the locals here that, ‘we’re the ones rearing the goats at such high altitudes but earning peanuts.’ They needed to be more in the value chain. And the work is happening in that direction now,” says the CEO of the Leh-based brand. Over 600 women from across Ladakh now work as spinners, weavers, knitters, tailors and natural dyers, offering the world a catalogue of their heritage—the Ladakhi pashmina.
Just like Looms of Ladakh, several clothing brands are working with tribal sensibilities, incorporating their weaves, designs and textiles—some adapting them to contemporary garments and silhouettes, others working to uphold the original essence—but all of them putting a spotlight on the very identity and heritage of India’s indigenous populace. This is not a tall statement as every small detail, motif, weave and textile has a story to tell—the tale of the tribal people’s migration patterns, their daily life, mythology, folklore and more.
A modern interpretation
“They are the tribal descendants from Rajasthan,” explains Asha Patil, the Karnataka-based founder of Banjara Kasuti, a non-profit organisation that works with the Lambani women of the state’s Vijaypura region, incorporating their age-old embroidery tradition into modern garments.
While the use of bright colours— red, green, yellow and indigo blue—is vividly visible, the embroidery is done so intricately that the base garment is often invisible. There is also a vivid use of mirror-work.
“In Rajasthan, their attire developed such as to be more attuned with the desert conditions. Hence the use of mirrors, which would reflect light to let others know that there were people there,” says Patil, highlighting how the tribe held the tale of its migration in its garment.
While Patil could see several Lambani women, as a child, adorned in their colourfully-embroidered phetiya-kanchali dresses, she witnessed the numbers significantly dwindle.
“While the garment was too heavy for laborious work, they also didn’t want to stand out,” she opines. Founded in 2017, the brand works to preserve the clothing traditions of the Lambani ladies “by inculcating their heritage into modern-day clothing”.
Several kilometres away in Ranchi, 33-year-old Ashish Satyavrat Sahu is doing the same with Johargram, which he started in 2020. “Despite Jharkhand having 32 tribal communities, people, for a long time, knew only about tussar silk. So we thought, being from Jharkhand, if not us, who would take this up to showcase the textile heritage of the state’s tribals,” he says.
From trousers, shirts and co-ord sets to caps and saris, the tribal motifs, weaves and designs are on full display. Even the vivid use of earthy tones—green, brown and blue, along with white and blue— akin to the tribal identity, brings forth their relationship with nature.
On why he chose to turn the tribal textiles and designs into streetwear, Sahu says, “It’s because they are worn the most. The pricing is lower, and our weavers have better chances of getting regular work. We saw a need to reach the youngsters, which would make our clothes appealing to everyone.”
While Johargram’s clientele now includes politicians, celebrities and bureaucrats, two individuals who especially feature prominently on the brand’s Instagram page are chief minister Hemant Soren and cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who also hails from Ranchi.
Tribal instinct
During her college days, Padma Yangchan, the Leh-born co-founder of Namza Couture “initially found Ladakhi costumes to be quite monotonous with their predominant black and maroon colours.” However, going through Namza Couture’s Instagram page is an experience in itself taking one through the rich tapestry of Ladakh, bringing forth the different elements of the Ladakhi attire— from sheep wool robes and pashmina to brocade patchwork— familiarising one with the rich diversity that exists, which transcends across ethnicities and tribal identities.
“After an extensive research, I discovered Ladakh’s rich history during the Silk Route era, when traders from across Central Asia brought their traditions to Ladakh, enriching its cultural fabric. This realisation fuelled my passion to reimagine and celebrate Ladakh’s heritage through Namza Couture,” Yangchan specifies. The focus of the brand appears very much on the Ladakhi attire but reconceptualised as per modern silhouettes.
“The concept was driven by a desire to blend creativity with traditional elements, incorporating Ladakhi motifs, techniques, and fabrics into more wearable designs to create a unique fashion narrative that respects and revitalises the past,” says Yangchan.
While the brand has primarily collaborated with the Brokpa community, who claim to be descendents of Alexander the Great, “our work is profoundly influenced by the tribal cultures of Ladakh,” she says.
“Wearing traditional dress is a profound way to appreciate and represent our cultural heritage. Our collections have included pieces like trousers (phirwal, tumboon, chanalay) and kameez (kurtani, peeran, cheeo),” she adds.
Local participation
“One of the reasons behind the inception of Banjara Kasuti was so that the Lambani women would get work near their homes,” says Seema Kishore, who works with Patil on the brand, explaining how their work earlier in coffee picking, grape and mango harvesting would keep the women away from home for at least six to eight months.
“Now, they don’t need to go anywhere. We first go to their settlements, sit with them and fine-tune their work. We provide them with the raw material. A group of 10 to 15 women gather at anyone’s place that has the space and stitch. The art and stitch are theirs, the rest are taken care of by Banjara Kasuti,” says Kishore, adding that they are remunerated as per the government’s standard, which is Rs 250-300 for a day’s work.
While the tribals are intrinsically involved in the workings of Banjara Kasuti, Johargram goes a step further by taking the local tribal youth as models. “Since the past two years, we have also organised a tribal fashion show at the Adivasi Mahotsav organised by the Jharkhand government,” says Sahu.
The tribal identity is kept in mind even in the product packaging, which is done using the leaves of the Sal tree. “For them, the Sal tree is as pious as tulsi is for the Hindus,” explains Sahu.
On the other hand, being a cooperative entity, Looms of Ladakh adopts a distinct strategy where “the agency is with the tribals, and the artisans are able to decide for themselves,” says Bahuguna. The entire production process is spread across several parts of Ladakh, where an interesting thing that Bahuguna observes is the participation of youngsters.
“In pashmina weaving, while earlier our members were generally elderly ladies, even youngsters are taking it up now. We have graduates and postgraduates working with us as they think that they can stand in elections and come in management also. They don’t feel they’re doing labour for somebody else. They are okay being a weaver,” she says.
Notably, while India largely knows male weavers, Looms of Ladakh, too, has the distinction of bringing forth women weavers, who through their craftsmanship, are weaving their stories into motifs, telling the tale of Ladakh’s rich heritage.
Emotions, biz run high
Bahuguna says that initially when people bought Looms of Ladakh products, it was more because of the emotional appeal. “It’s knowing that these are honest people, and if they’re saying it’s pashmina or sheep wool, then they mean it. So they would buy. That’s the kind of sale that we saw earlier,” the CEO says.
However, with much upskilling and focus on the products, that has now changed. “While in 2022-23, we did sales of Rs 34 lakh, that rose to Rs 42 lakh in 2023-24. This year, we have a target of Rs 70 lakh of which, from April to June, we’ve already achieved Rs 23 lakh,” she states, specifying that “the larger aim is to become sustainable outside all the grants that we get”.
While the brand has an outlet in Leh, it sells at the Taj Khazana stores and at exhibitions. “This year, we feel production has risen. From this fall, we’ll have to actively curate some pop-ups,” she says.
Johargram, too, has seen a similar growth. “While we started as a two-member team selling only masks, which got us sales of Rs 30,000 to 40,000 per month, in 2023-24, our turnover was Rs 1 crore,” says Sahu.
“At Namza Couture, our growth in sales and profitability has been promising,” says Yangchan.
While such brands are doing their part in heritage keeping, these are also crucial for India’s larger economic growth. According to the 2023 Business of Handmade report, touted as the first of its kind “research on financing India’s craft-led MSMEs”, a handmade revolution in India is being led by young, ambitious enterprises, which could help India achieve its target of a $5-trillion economy. It also contributes considerably to India’s overall employment.
The governments, both at the Centre and states, too, have policies in place in the form of TRIFED, which comes under the ministry of tribal affairs, and works for the socio-economic development of tribals by developing marketing for the tribal products, which include textiles, painting and metal craft, among others. It also runs Tribes India, a one-stop-shop online that sells handcrafted products from tribal artisans across India. Every year, it also organises the National Tribal Festival Aadi Mahotsav, which celebrates the tribal culture, commerce and art. These are crucial for India’s 104 million-strong tribal population not only to improve their livelihood but also to preserve their rich culture and heritage.