Three Flowers marks a new direction in our practice — bringing the endemic flora of these mountains into cloth through block print, in conversation with Toda embroidery. Two craft traditions, one landscape.

The Toda women of the Nilgiris are renowned for their distinctive black-and-red embroidery. The pukhoor motif follows the base cloth's warp and weft — artisans count each thread with their fingers as they work, stretching the material by hand. Inspired by nature, each motif carries the geometry of a landscape the Toda have inhabited for centuries.

Our journey with the Toda Project began three years ago, though it has been many years in the making. Starting as a small collective of seven, we have grown to nearly 70 artisans and designers, working together to celebrate and sustain this rare art form. We collaborated with local weavers and went beyond traditional cotton to develop fine, sustainable fabrics tailored to the intricate thread-counting technique — a process that required numerous trials to honour the precision and heritage of this craft.

With fewer than 1,500 Todas and around only 400 artisans practising, preserving this art is vital to sustaining the community's cultural identity. At the heart of our work is a commitment to the artisans — fair wages, skill development, and creating opportunities for the next generation to embrace this heritage.

Our vision is to ensure that this work remains meaningful to both the artisan and the patron.