Our Story 

Ka-pore is a family of 400 rural women artisans and a small design team working their way to restore and revive the traditional textile techniques from Bengal. All our products are handcrafted and manufactured in handlooms using locally manufactured natural fibers and all surface embellishments are adorned by our women artisan team. At Ka-pore we believe there is no beauty in clothes unless we appreciate the people behind them. We are constantly thriving to make more conscious decisions for our planet as we navigate our way through slow fashion towards sustainable growth for our people and the craft. All our products are handmade with precision and craftsmanship that will slowly dissipate unless we make an effort to restore them and that is what makes our six yards timeless. 

Our beginning started as the first sewing school in our town by Manikana, Moumita’s mother, and today we are a third generation in this craft as Sharanya, Moumita’s daughter, joined the team. We are a small handloom manufacturing house from Bardhaman, West Bengal, and our production team consists of women artisans from around our town. Together we are recreating the Kantha Culture of Bengal, reviving the lost stitches, and training the present and future generations in this craft. Along with Kantha we also work with different handloom weaving techniques, batik, and hand painting. While we are trying to create an identity for us and our products with Ka-pore by Moumita, we are also looking for collaborations with contributors of the slow fashion community. If you wish to reach us, please find our details under Contact. 

Read more about our community under THREADS.

 

 

 

Moumita’s Story

Moumita, the mind, and heart behind Ka-pore, has been working to restore and promote the textile heritage of Bengal for the last two decades. With a team of twenty women artisans, the journey started in the year 2000, from this small town in Bengal, to curate the forgotten craft of Kantha embroidery. 

Today, with Moumita as the creative lead, the team has expanded to the present Ka-pore family and we continue experimenting with the various textile techniques of our land. We are committed to using natural fiber while cultivating traditional sustainable production practices and working with local artisans. 

Ka-pore has been a community for rural women artisans, around our town, from the very first day and continues to work on creating a parallel livelihood while taking various initiatives towards their wellbeing. We feel proud to be a women-oriented organization that is run and managed by women since the beginning.

 

Sharanya’s Story

I can’t tell when I fell in love with the craft and with six yards. I have grown up with fabrics, yarns, and threads around me. The core Ka-pore team has seen me grow up and I call them my “masi” (like mother). I have grown up seeing my mother’s passion for the craft and our community. And when the time came, I had to come back to my roots. After passing out from NIFT, Chennai, I came back home to rejoin the family and take it further. Ka-pore is our newfound identity. But we started blooming since my grandmother’s time and something so nostalgic needs to be taken care of.

Help us grow, and join us on this journey where we explore the story of Kantha and continue our learning.