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.
Thirupurasundari sevvel –
Totally loved the beautiful piece of wearable art . From the personalised note to the packing – everything carried so much love and warmth . A way to support the artisans , the art and the community – through stunning unique wearable art.
ramya (store manager) –
Thank you so much. Your love and goodwill mean a lot to us and our artisans. Hope you enjoy wearing Till(zh)y!
Suman Tohani –
Love love love my new acquisition! Elegant and chic, light and breezy, this artisanal masterpiece captures the spirit of the Nilgiris. The meticulously embroidered red and black motifs are magnificently presented on a delicate cloud-like base of the finest cotton wool suitable for every climate and every occasion.
ramya (store manager) –
Suman, it makes us so happy to know that you like the stole and are enjoying it! Thank you so much for your warm, kind words of appreciation and for taking the time to write this special review – we are thrilled to hear it and we’ll share it with our artisans too. Love, Ramya