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.
Divya Chandran (verified owner) –
This is the first piece of Toda embroidered fabric I bought for myself and I am totally chuffed. The fabric feels luxurious unlike the traditional ones you often come across in the market. And the needlework is exquisite and flawless!
ramya (store manager) –
Thank you, Divya, for your warm words of appreciation. Equally chuffed to know that this was the first toda piece you bought for yourself. What an honour! Hope you enjoy wearing it! xx