Meet the Indian fashion brands reimagining handloom for a new generation

From the moment you touch a handloom textile, you feel its distinction from any other fabric you've worn. The difference is subtle, but unmistakable. It feels humbly special. Choosing handloom isn't about dismissing machine-made textiles; it's about appreciating the qualities only a handcrafted fabric can offer. They hold human connection, attention to detail, care, and wisdom passed down through generations, sometimes even centuries. Without these textiles, fashion would lose a part of its soul. Especially in a country like India, where we're so accustomed to seeing vibrant Banarasi saris, intricate chikankari, airy Chanderi, soft khadi separates, and countless other weaves, it's almost impossible to imagine a wardrobe without them.

There are very few pockets across the world where handloom traditions continue to thrive, and rapid development is steadily pushing many of these age-old crafts to the margins. That's precisely why it's more important than ever to celebrate India's extraordinary textile heritage and support the homegrown labels working tirelessly to keep it alive.

This National Handloom Day, we're spotlighting the homegrown brands that put textiles first. For them, handloom isn't an afterthought or a seasonal inspiration; it's the foundation of every collection, bringing together centuries-old craftsmanship and modern design sensibilities. Be it Banarasi brocades and Chanderi or indigenous cottons and Mizo puan, here are the homegrown labels making a case for handlooms in every contemporary wardrobe.

Jiwya

If traceability had a poster child, it would be Jiwya. Founded by a husband-wife duo of textile chemists after a 19,000km journey across India's artisan clusters, the brand looks at handloom as something much bigger than the fabric itself. Every garment can be traced back to where it began, from indigenous plant fibres and natural dyes to the artisan spinning the yarn and the loom weaving the fabric. 

Working with over 150 artisan communities, Jiwya creates entirely plant-based clothing using hand spinning, hand weaving, block printing, and natural dyeing. Shirts, dresses, jackets, and separates are just one part of the story. The real story lies in proving that handloom can evolve without compromising nature. Guided by its 'soil-to-soil' philosophy, the brand eliminates plastics and animal-derived materials at every stage, from the fibres and dyes to the buttons and stitching thread, proving that centuries-old craft can still lead the future of fashion sustainably.

Raw Mango

Raw Mango is instantly recognisable because no other brand does Chanderi silk with such a contemporary flair. The nearly 1,000-year-old weave, prized for its featherlight drape and subtle sheen, has become synonymous with the label through its jewel-toned palette and unexpected motifs. Instead of familiar paisleys, Raw Mango frequently swaps in marigolds, lotuses, elephants, tigers, and stylised birds, giving centuries-old weaves a distinctly modern identity. 

Beyond Chanderi, the brand also works extensively with Banarasi brocades, Mashru, handwoven silks, and cotton textiles. It has spent years collaborating with weaving clusters across Chanderi, Varanasi, and Bengal, bringing near-forgotten weaving techniques back into everyday conversation by designing clothes people genuinely want to wear. Its decentralised production model gives artisans greater autonomy over their work, helping preserve skills passed down through generations while ensuring the communities behind the craft benefit alongside the brand.

11.11 / eleven eleven

For 16 years, 11.11/eleven eleven has challenged the idea that handloom belongs only in saris and shawls. Every collection begins with hand-spun, handwoven textiles, from indigenous Kala cotton, khadi, and wool to handwoven denim, all coloured using 100 per cent natural dyes like indigo, madder, pomegranate, and iron. Indigo, in particular, has become the brand's signature, backed by years of research into refining ancient dyeing techniques for contemporary wardrobes. 

Shirts, tailoring, knitwear, denim, and everyday separates all begin with the textile itself, which the brand has spent years re-engineering for modern clothing. Through initiatives like 'Meet the Makers' and its artisan-owned producer organisation, Kala Khoj, in Kutch, 11.11 continues to push handloom forward while ensuring the knowledge behind it grows alongside the communities preserving it.

Hannah Khiangte

The eponymous label has spent over a decade introducing the rest of India to the rich handloom traditions of the Northeast. At its heart are Mizo puan weaves, handwoven cottons, and Eri silk, often called the 'peace silk' of the region because it's harvested without harming the silkworm. These textiles become sharply tailored jackets, dresses, occasionwear, and contemporary separates that retain the graphic beauty of traditional weaving while feeling completely current. 

Working closely with women weavers and artisan communities across Mizoram and neighbouring states, the label continues to shine a light on a textile heritage that has long deserved a much bigger place in India's fashion conversation.

Eka 

Eka has never believed that perfection makes a garment beautiful. Since 2011, the label has built its collections around the subtle irregularities that only handcraft can create, celebrating the marks of the maker instead of hiding them. Handwoven cotton, linen, silk, Jamdani, and fine wool are sourced through collaborations with weaving communities across India before being transformed into fluid dresses, softly tailored separates, jackets, and occasionwear.

Hand embroidery, quilting, patchwork, and textile layering appear throughout the collections, but the craftsmanship never competes with the fabric. The focus always comes back to the textile and the people behind it, making every garment feel like it has been shaped by human hands from start to finish. The beauty of handloom, time and again, lies in the details machines can never replicate.

Ekaya Banaras

Ekaya Banaras has made Banarasi relevant again for a generation that wants to wear handloom beyond their wedding day. Backed by a 120-year-old textile legacy, the brand has reimagined one of India's most celebrated weaves through handwoven Banarasi silks, tissue, organza, cotton-silk blends, and intricate brocades. 

It has never been afraid to have fun with tradition either. Think cowhide-print saris, sculptural jackets, playful co-ords, and collaborations with designers like Masaba Gupta, Abraham & Thakore, and Ashdeen Lilaowala that prove Banarasi can be just as fashion-forward as it is timeless. Working with a community of over 10,000 weavers in and around Varanasi, Ekaya continues to invest in handloom weaving while giving artisans the opportunity to develop new designs and techniques for a global audience.

SWGT

SWGT has spent the last few years proving that handloom doesn't need to look traditional to honour tradition. Since launching in 2018, the label has developed its own handwoven Chanderi cotton and silk textiles in collaboration with weaving communities, treating fabric as the starting point for every collection. 

Inspired by the landscapes and craft traditions of the Himalayas, these textiles are transformed through techniques like smocking, pleat tucks, faggoting, hand crochet, and embroidery, giving oversized shirts, dresses, jackets, and easy separates their distinctive texture. The name itself stands for Seeker, Wanderer, Gatherer, Thinker, a philosophy reflected in collections that encourage handloom to be seen as something to live in, experiment with, and wear every day.

If these homegrown fashion brands prove anything, it is handloom’s ability to evolve without losing its identity. They aren't preserving textiles inside museums or limiting them to festive wardrobes. They're ensuring India's weaving traditions remain relevant by making them part of everyday fashion. Which means the greatest tribute to a handloom is not simply admiring it, but actually wearing it.

Lead image: Featured brands

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