Bengaluru-based handloom label rolls out workwear and bridal trousseaux

The Indian Motif didn’t emerge as yet another boutique flirting with the idea of handloom; it arrived with a clear, uncompromising purpose — bringing India’s textile heritage back into the flow of everyday dressing. At the helm of this quiet but purposeful revival is Swetha Sarma Sunderraman. After nearly two decades in technology and analytics, she turned a lifelong love for handcrafted clothing into a full-fledged commitment to the craft.

“I come from a background far removed from design or formal textile training. Still, I’ve always had a deep interest in handcrafted clothing, especially saris. I was one of the few people at work and at school who wore them regularly. My curiosity really grew when I realised that many of the saris in my mother’s and grandmother’s wardrobes were no longer available in the market. Whenever we visited popular sari stores in Chennai or Bengaluru, we were told, no one makes these anymore. I began wondering what came first: the lack of demand for these saris or the lack of supply that led to the decline in demand,” Swetha recalls.

Founded in 2020, the Bengaluru-based label has been established as a space that not only makes natural and handmade crafts accessible but intends to educate the patrons about every intricate detail of the piece they buy and how it came to be.

“The Indian Motif started with five clusters of artisans I had met during my travels. The idea was simple: when a customer buys a product, how do we give them as much information as possible about what they are purchasing? I firmly believe that the more informed a customer is, the better their choices will be. Today’s customer is very intelligent, yet much of the industry operates on information asymmetry and even misinfor mation, which ultimately does not serve the customer. From those first five clusters, we expanded to regions where textile crafts thrive and today we work with 40 clusters. That is how the label was built to make handcrafted fashion and textiles an effortless choice for the Indian consumer,” she shares.

Its collections draw from more than 40 artisanal and weaving clusters across the country — cottons that breathe, silks that shimmer without ostentation, linens with an elegant fall and hand-printed textiles that carry the subtle irregularities which only human hands can create.

“In 2022, we opened our first retail store when markets finally reopened. We realised that this category needs a tactile experience and that these stories are best told through conversation. It can’t be reduced to a price-led exchange; people need to understand where a piece comes from, its purpose and the craft behind it. Only when we share this rich heritage do we truly begin to value what we have in our world,” the founder reveals.

There are no synthetics, no shortcuts, no dilution of craft for convenience. The Indian Motif operates with the conviction that fabric is not merely material but memory of people, places and practices that have shaped India’s creative landscape for generations.

“We now work with about forty different craft types. A few fundamentals define our brand. First, we use zero synthetics. Today, only a handful of pieces in the wider market are truly free from viscose, microplastics or polyester — whether blended or labelled as semi, all of which inevitably make their way into textiles. We ensure that every piece in our catalogue is completely authentic. Secondly, every item must have a handmade element. In textile crafts, we primarily work with handloom, as well as hand block printing, hand embroidery and traditional techniques such as shibori and batik. For men, we make handcrafted shirts and dhotis, encouraging them to move beyond the usual blues and blacks,” she elucidates.

What makes the brand particularly compelling is its vivid variety of offerings with a strong focus on the southern and western regions of India. From Karnataka there are kodiyala saris, as well as kasuti-embroidered pieces; Kanchipuram, Arani and Madurai weaves, in silks, cottons and silk–cotton blends from Tamil Nadu; kalamkari from both Machilipatnam and Srikalahasti along with some Pochampally ikats, Odisha ikats and lots more.

“Our entire collection is built around one purpose: to engage as many artisans as possible in the production process, ensuring they receive a steady and reliable monthly income. The new workwear collection is designed to allow people to express themselves authentically at work. These are essentially ‘9-to-9’ saris, available in a wide range of colour palettes. We are also curating a collection for bridal trousseau and gifting. We’ve noticed that bridal trousseaux often contain items that end up being impractical or rarely used. We encourage brides to think differently and bring the richness of India’s textile heritage into their trousseaux,” she signs off.

₹4,000 onwards. At Shankara Foundation, Kanakapura Road.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.