Cotton magic from India
The Gold & Kundan wedding set, with its matching choker necklace and earrings, is the fashion accessories standout. Home décor offers more delights including throws, wall art and dream catchers. Then there are the toys. Mermaids, unicorns, that cuddly bedtime buddy, Huggable Sheep – irresistible!
All are created by Chetankala, the Kolkata-based label founded by dynamic artist, entrepreneur and educator, Chetan Agarwal.
It will be among 12 companies exhibiting under the umbrella of Texprocil – India’s Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council – at the Global Sourcing Expo, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, November 19-21.
The craft of crochet is the heart of Chetankala. Agarwal, who graduated from India’s National Institute of Design in 2013, made it her mission to help underprivileged women attain financial freedom and realised crochet was the key.
The strategy has proved enormously successful. Scores of nimble-fingered women across India – from the highly skilled to novices who are given expert training – have made Chetankala a winner.
In 1960, a family-owned firm specializing in Kashmir hand-knotted silk carpets and rugs was launched under the brand name Wani. Today, it trades as J.I. International, has a showroom in Delhi and includes contemporary ranges such as cotton and fine wool kellims as well as pashmina shawls.
The high-end pure silk carpets remain the key attractions of J.I International, whose owners trace their lineage to Iranian carpet-makers who settled in Kashmir. The northern region continues to weave its magic. “We have set up 200 looms in various districts across Kashmir,” notes J.I International.
Since its birth in 1994 as a modest local business, Havns International has evolved into a leading exporter of quality home textiles specializing in rugs, napery and cushion covers – the latter including a luxury range in velvet. Among the company’s most popular lines are its handwoven jute rugs and elegant table runners.
Major cotton yarn manufacturer, Adwaith Textiles, founded in 1956 and based in Tamil Nadu, is renowned for its quality products including specially blended and customized yarns. Along with cotton from its own farms in southern and northern India, Adwaith manufactures top-grade cottons from other countries – most notably the USA, Australia and Egypt.
Social responsibility is key the long-established company. Adwaith runs schools for the local community and is dedicated to green energy, with wind and solar providing 85% of its power needs.
Also headquartered in Tamil Nadu is SJLT Spinning Mills which began in 1994 with a small initial capacity and now ranks among India’s leading yarn manufacturers. In addition to its spinning and weaving operations, SJLT produces bed linens in solids and prints for the retail, institutional and utility sectors.
