Anokhi

Anokhi is a sustainable Indian clothing label, founded in Jaipur in 1970 by John and Faith Singh. They started the brand when Jaipur's block-printing industry was at a very low ebb, working with block carvers, printers, dyers, embroiderers and bead workers in and around the city and committing to provide them with sustained work throughout the year. Anokhi began with small clothing collections, reimagining traditional prints as evening dresses, bolero jackets and kaftans sold through boutiques in England. Today it makes hand-block printed kurtas, tunics, dresses, tops, skirts and pants, along with scarves, quilts, bed linen and other home textiles, all made in India. Its designers develop contemporary ranges around artisans' traditional techniques, and the brand has long been seen as a role model for good business practice and the revival of textile skills. In the mid-1990s the next generation took over, and Anokhi now has shops across India. In 2005 Anokhi founded the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing in a restored haveli in Amber, dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting block-printed fabric. The haveli's restoration won a UNESCO award for cultural heritage conservation.