Long before an artisanal textile becomes a garment or accessory, it passes through many hands. The weaver who spent weeks at the loom, the dyer who coaxed colour from plant and mineral, even the embroiderer working stitch by careful stitch. But by the time this piece reaches a brand's Instagram grid or a retail shelf, that process is largely invisible. If you’ve ever been curious about how your piece was handcrafted, this one’s for you.
Here are some artisan accounts on Instagram that offer something that curated product pages rarely do: the actual story of how things are made, and by whom.
Monika, Loomika
Image Source: Instagram/loomika_by_monika
This is your chance to peek into the life of an artisan designer as she navigates through her craft of hand-weaving kala cotton. Watch as she transforms threads into striped, patterned and textured fabric, one that is considered to be one of the most sustainable cottons in the country.
Mohan Marwada, The Art of Dhaga
Image Source: Instagram/the_art_of_dhaga
Discover up close about textiles and crafts from Kutch, including Kala Cotton, Indigo dyeing, hand weaving processes, mirror work and much more. Mohan also takes you through the importance of each textile and process, so make sure you stay tuned to his stories!
Geetaben Meriya, Kala Upahar
Image Source: Instagram/kalaupahar
Streaming stories from Bhuj, Geetaben and the women artisans she works with at Kala Upahar regularly showcase the mesmerising process of Kutch embroidery. Make sure you watch out for the artisans talking about the inspirations behind their designs, too, in occasional videos.
Mubassirah Khatri, Elysians
Image Source: Instagram/elysians_ajrakh
Mubassirah is an artisan designer and one of the only women artisans practising Ajrakh. Mubassirah’s take on the ancient craft is rather contemporary and extremely creative. Follow her for your look inside the craft, natural dyes and mesmerising process of Ajrakh printing.
Faiz Khatri, Tarbaan
Image Source: Instagram/tar.baan
This one’s perfect if you are a bandhani lover. Faiz, through the Tarbaan profile, shares his and his mother’s journey with Bandhani. Stay tuned on the account to get an inside view into the intricate process of tying and dyeing that created the ancient Bandhani print.
Usha Khimji Jaypal, Panjko
Image Source: Instagram/panjko_by_ushajaypal
Usha Khimji Jaypal introduces her audience to Extra Weft Weaving – a weaving technique that introduces extra weft threads to create intricate patterns on the woven fabric. Watch on as each process is documented with precision and patience- just like the craft.
We bet your feed is about to get a lot more artistic with these on your follow list!