India, Maku Textiles / Santanu Das, Textile and Clothing Design

Maku is a textile and clothing brand for womenswear from India. Maku’s philosophy is based on addressing the ecological and humane challenges of the 21st century by soaking itself in a mindful process of making and being. Striving to put a sustainable supply chain in place every day, we are firmly rooted in the practice of doing things by hand. Our clothes are handspun, handwoven and hand dyed with natural colours – indigo and natural whites having been our mainstay so far, with more shades being added to our natural palette.

Maku’s designs are contextual to community, practices and individual skill sets. Drawing from age-old Indian textile traditions, we have been working intimately with the ‘jamdani’ brocade weavers of West Bengal since the past decade, and have grown increasingly sensitive to the weaving history of this weaver community, both technically and aesthetically. We put effort towards making these textiles agreeable in today’s context by understanding the ecosystem within which they operate, and integrating in them the indigenous knowledge of doing things.

At Maku, the fabric takes the lead - the design language evolving from the pulse of the yardage. 'Maku' is the Bengali word for shuttle (used in handloom weaving). Maku garments are intimate in character, demanding one’s touch, smell, taste, and feel to expound its comfort to the wearer. Maku’s collections of wearables attempt to create a resonance with every individual to be conscious of the path they tread on, stimulating them to respect the delicate balance of life on earth.

To further follow the story of Maku Textiles, please find them on social media here.