India is a land of rich crafts, each state having its own unique embroidery tradition.
Kashida of Kashmir, Kutchi of Gujarat, Kantha of Bengal, Chikankari of Uttar Pradesh, Kasuti of Karnataka, Phulkari of Punjab and Peepli of Odisha are some of the popular embroidery styles of India.
While our main mission at Ohrna was enabling livelihoods while advocating sustainability, another goal we set out with also is to help preserve the traditional crafts of India. And we focused first on Bengal, the eastern state of India known for its rich artworks and textiles.
We chose to combine jute, the organic, plant-based fabric native to Bengal with the beautiful kanthastyle of embroidery of the same region.
The combination of jute fabric and kantha embroidery has become Ohrna’s trademark. Jute’s natural earthy colors, that we have also combined and complemented with various interesting regional fabrics added over time, is turning into the hallmark of our brand.
On our visit to the town of Hubli, about 250 miles from Bangalore, we were introduced to the kasuti style of embroidery. Kasuti, the traditional and intricate embroidery of Karnataka, a state on India’s southwestern coast is a combination of backstitch, running stitch, cross stitch and zig-zag running stitch. It creates beautiful patterns and designs.
While we have not yet integrated kasuti in its traditional form into Ohrna products, our kasuti artisans of Hubli are applying cross-stitch from among the kasuti stitches to our products. They also embroider the kantha stitch and are now applying it to embroider beautiful silk scarves.
With many of our rural women artisans having a limited knowledge of embroidery and design, Ohrna equips them with embroidery and product making skills that are transforming their lives through financial empowerment.
This endeavor also fulfills its other aim -- to preserve the rich craft of handmade products that form the fabric of India’s culture.
Ohrna believes in responsible design. Our focus is use of sustainable materials, employment of rural women, preservation of rich craft traditions and packaging in up cycled materials.
We train for free and often employ women with minimum skills. We design to customers' needs and also constantly adapt our designs for ease of making, for our makers. Most of our artisans are from manndeshifoundation.org