Who Made My Knits?
Meet the 'behens' who knit our cosy winter collection
Kullvi Whims
Kullvi Whims aka "Women of Himachal self-help group, from Kullu Valley" is an all-women-led enterprise situated in the mountain town of Naggar Himachal.
Founded by Nisha Subramaniam & Brighu Acharya alongside 9 women artisans. The artisans practised the craft of spinning, knitting, and weaving; which are a part of the pahadi traditions passed down from generation to generation in Himachal Pradesh. They initially used their skills to create household items for themselves. Slowly over the years, they started reviving, restoring & reiterating these age-old practices via Kullvi Whims.
They started working with indigenous wool sourced from Himachali shepherds also known as 'desi oon' in Hindi; working alongside the "Desi Oon Hub" which is an amalgamation of 9 organisations encouraging wool craftsmanship to restore pastoral ecosystems across India. In an effort to use the local flora of the mountains, the women honed the skills of naturally dyeing wool with the bounty of the mountains.
With trials & error and sheer perseverance, Kullvi Whims brings the creative vision of other sustainable businesses to life through handcrafted fleece to fabric (sourcing local wool, sorting, cleaning, spinning, dyeing, weaving & knitting) desi oon knits from their studio or their homes in Naggar; overlooking the glorious Himalayas!
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The team that worked on our Pahadi Postcards Collection
Right to Left: Sapna, Neema, Poonam & Vandana
Design & Direction
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Maithili - Founder
see how it all startedConscious fashion, living and cats is what she is all about. Originally from Bombay, she lives in France and Buno Behen is her way of connecting her two homes through craft and craftswomanship
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Mitsu & Shailee - Design Interns
Mitsu & Shailee played the crucial role of being our eyes on ground in India. They co-ordinated with the artisans for quality check, design input & guidance. Our knitwear collection would not come to terms without their dedication.