Kala cotton is one of the signature materials at ABIS.
It is a 100% rain fed crop and is grown naturally in the arid regions of Kutch, Rajasthan. Local farming communities cultivate the crop without the use of any chemical fertilizers or pesticides. This type of cotton is water efficient and has minimum carbon footprint.
Kala cotton was brought back to the fields and the loom after the kala cotton initiative by Khamir in 2007-2008
We source our kala cotton directly
from the farmers of Kutch.
We source our kala cotton directly
from the farmers of Kutch.
The making of kala cotton goes through multiple interesting stages from collecting the cotton, separating the seeds from the fibres, getting the cotton bales ready for weaving. The weaving is done on spinning wheels or 'charkhas', typically by the Vankar community who are traditional weavers.
This creates the cotton yarn which is then hand dyed using natural dyes, typically by the Khatri community who are traditional dyers.
This creates the cotton yarn which is then hand dyed using natural dyes, typically by the Khatri community who are traditional dyers.
Once the yarn is dyed and ready, it is then prepared to be woven by hand on pit looms.
in a small way through our 'weave to wardrobe' initiatve.
Experience a softer more sustainable cotton through our elementary collection
