The indigenous Toda women from the Nilgiris are renowned for their distinctive, GI-tagged, black and red embroidery. Inspired by nature the pukhoor ( motif ) embroidery follows the warp and weft thread count of the base cloth. The artisans count the thread with their fingers by merely stretching the material as they work.
Over the past year or so, a team of us including two senior Toda artisans embarked on an ongoing journey to re-imagine this art form with a contemporary aesthetic on fine, sustainable fabrics and newer formats. A pronounced departure from working on the regular coarse cotton, this marks a renewed approach to the art form. After much trial and error, in close coordination with wonderful local weavers, we chose two types of beautiful fabrics conducive to the thread counting technique. Our vision was (and is) to present the exquisite beauty of this rare art form to a contemporary, aesthetic driven, appreciative world.
Saritha Hegde –
As an internationally travelling person and Ex Global Senior Vice President
for Fashion Sourcing for a global brand, I love indigenous artistry, and to finally hold a product that you know comes from a transparent supply chain is sheer joy. One can feel the energy of the Toda women who embroidered this under a tree in their ancestral land. Telling their stories with now, hope.
As a consumer, the soft drape of the fabric and the exquisite delicate embroidery is a match made in heaven. I can easily carry this all around the world and dress up or dress down according to my choice.
Thank you Coonoor & Co for creating these masterpieces and bringing value and meaning to what we wear and therefore how we feel by making choices like these ❤️
Looking forward to more
ramya (store manager) –
Saritha, thank you so much for this heartfelt review. We are so and happy that you are enjoying the stole, and your appreciation and encouragement means a lot to us and our team of artisans. Love, Ramya
Heta Pandit –
I received my first Toda stole as a precious gift. Indeed, it was a gift in more ways than one! It’s a capsule of what efforts Ramya Reddy and the team have put into the project. It’s light on the shoulder and doubles up as a dupatta. I carry it with me on all my trips. Cool when it’s warm. Warm when it’s cold. It’s a comforter set on centuries of love, wisdom and, joy. It’s not just a stole. For me, it’s a celebration.