Provenance &
Partnerships
Meet our artisan partners
Meet our artisan partners
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The single greatest asset of House of Wandering Silk is the vast network of relationships we've built & nurtured since 2011 with our artisan partners.​ This network spans the entire length & breadth of India: 17 states, 30 districts/cities, 40 current partners & tens of thousands of artisans; of whom over 80% are women.
It's thanks to these relationships that the beauty of our textiles goes much deeper than their aesthetic value alone: it stems from the rich cultural heritage our artisans draw upon and the authenticity of our textiles.
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Weaving stories...
At House of Wandering Silk,
textiles are not just textiles;
they’re stories.
That’s because our cloth is
made by hand from beginning to end,
bringing together the skills, traditions
& cultures of artisanal communities
from across India.
Each artisan,
each place &
each technique adds to this story,
& we are their story tellers.
Our selection process
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The organisational structure of House of Wandering Silk was designed from the get-go to be small, adaptable & light; adding value where necessary, but avoiding wasteful duplication by building on existing resources, organisations & skills.
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What this means is that we've kept the HOWS team small - it's just the 3 of us - and over the years we've built up an extensive network of partners spread across the length & breadth of India.
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Each partner is carefully & intentionally selected & audited by our team to ensure they share & implement our vision: to provide fairly-paid, dignified & sustainable livelihood opportunities to marginalised women, with the objective of empowering them to achieve economic independence & create better lives for themselves, their families & their communities.
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Investing in relationships with producer groups & artisans has been key to building long-term partners; over time, this has evolved into a strong, country-wide network with a wide range of organisations.
Our partners include individuals & organisations; from independent craftspeople, designers & family-run businesses, to women's Self Help Groups, cooperatives, non governmental & non profit associations, and social enterprises, to a trade union with over two million members.
Partner Directory
Kantha Cooperative
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Location: Murshidabad, West Bengal, India
Number of artisans: 1400 artisans - 100% women
Structure: Cooperative
Specialisation: Kantha embroidery
Partner since: 2011
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Tharangini Studios
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Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Number of artisans: 17 artisans- 50% women
Structure: Private Limited
Specialisation: Block print
Partner since: 2018
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WomenWeave
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Location: Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, India
Number of artisans: 513 artisans - 95% women
Structure: Not for profit
Specialisation: Weaving
Partner since: 2013
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Pashmina Artisans
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Location: Srinagar, J&K, India
Number of artisans: 50 artisans - 5% women
Structure: Artisan community
Specialisation: Weaving
Partner since: 2014
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Yuti Handloom
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Location: Phulia, West Bengal, India
Number of artisans: 12 artisans
Structure: Family-run private limited
Specialisation: Weaving, jamdani, natural dye
Partner since: 2015
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Naturaloom
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Location: Hyderabad, India
Number of artisans: 10 artisans
Structure: Master Craftsperson & artisan group
Specialisation: Weaving
Partner since: 2019
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Naresh Siju
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Location: Bhuj, Gujarat, India
Number of artisans: 4 artisans - 50% women
Structure: Master Craftsperson & artisan group
Specialisation: Natural dyeing
Partner since: 2017
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Syu Textiles
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Location: Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Number of artisans: 20 artisans
Structure: Private limited
Specialisation: Block print
Partner since: 2015
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Takdira Begum
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Location: Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India
Number of artisans: 100 artisans - 100% women
Structure: Master Craftsperson & artisan group
Specialisation: Nakshi kantha embroidery
Partner since: 2015
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Sari Bead Necklace
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Location: Delhi, India
Number of artisans: 10 artisans - 80% women
Structure: Individual artisans
Specialisation: Sari bead necklaces
Partner since: 2012
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Khamir
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Location: Bhuj, Gujarat, India
Number of artisans: 100 artisans
Structure: Not for profit
Specialisation: Weaving, natural dyeing
Partner since: 2017
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Anwesha
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Location: Orissa, India
Number of artisans: 1000+ artisans
Structure: Not for profit
Specialisation: Dhokra
Partner since: 2015
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Disha Shekawahti
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Location: Shekawahti, Rajasthan, India
Number of artisans: 400 artisans - 100% women
Structure: Self Help Group
Specialisation: Shibori
Partner since: 2015
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Purkal Stree Shakti
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Location: Dehradun, Himachal Pradesh, India
Number of artisans: 80 artisans - 100% women
Structure: Self Help Group
Specialisation: Patchwork, applique
Partner since: 2015
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ADIV
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Location: Mumbai, India
Number of artisans: 30 artisans
Structure: Private limited
Specialisation: Natural dyeing
Partner since: 2016
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ASAL
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Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Number of artisans: 1000+ artisans
Structure: Association
Specialisation: Weaving, natural dyeing
Partner since: 2015
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Abdullah & Jabbar Khatri
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Location: Bhuj, Gujarat, India
Number of artisans: 256 artisans - 98% women
Structure: Master Craftsperson & artisan group
Specialisation: Bandhani & shibori
Partner since: 2017
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Sufiyan Khatri
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Location: Ajrakhpur, Gujarat, India
Number of artisans: 150 artisans
Structure: Master Craftsperson & artisan group
Specialisation: Ajrakh
Partner since: 2017
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MasterG
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Location: Delhi, India
Number of artisans: 20 artisans - 100% women
Structure: Private limited
Specialisation: Manufacturing unit
Partner since: 2018
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Sasha Association
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Location: West Bengal, India
Number of artisans: 5000 artisans
Structure: Fair trade association
Specialisation: Embroidery, weaving
Partner since: 2016
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Vankar Vishram Valji
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Location: Bhujodi, Gujarat, India
Number of artisans: 50 artisans
Structure: Master Craftsperson & artisan group
Specialisation: Weaving
Partner since: 2017
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SEWA
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Location: Pan-India
Number of members: 2 million- 100% women
Structure: Trade Union
Specialisation: Embroidery, weaving
Partner since: 2014
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Paiwand​ Studio
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Location: Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
Number of artisans: 20 artisans
Structure: Private limited
Specialisation: Weaving
Partner since: 2019
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Fabric Plus
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Location: Guwahati, Assam, India
Number of artisans: 300 artisans
Structure: Private Limited
Specialisation: Weaving
Partner since: 2017
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