KANTHA

Kantha is a type of embroidery that originated in Bengal, an area that now comprises Bangladesh and Eastern India. It was traditionally used as a way to recycle old saris into blankets by layering fabric pieces and stitching them together. Symbolically, it was an expression of the Hindu practice of making whole that which has been fragmented or broken.

Kantha’s appearance is characterised by rows of running stitches that form dotted lines across the fabric. Traditionally, these were used to hold the fabric layers together, but today they are often used on a single layer to add depth and texture. The stitching sometimes gives the fabric a wrinkled or wavy effect.

Our kantha collection comprises cushion covers and blankets. They were made by an artisanal group in Bangladesh that specialises in the kantha technique and combines it with the use of natural dyes and a resist dyeing technique called shibori. You can read about our visit to this group here. 

To shop the kantha collection, click here.