Woven – Sustainable Womens Wear Collection

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WOVEN is a unique sustainable womenswear collection that uses traditional Indian handloomed fabrics in modern shapes and sophisticated colours.

Designed in London and produced in rural India by collectives supporting local women, WOVEN creates contemporary clothing in a considerate and caring way.

Its beautiful sustainable fabrics, using only natural fibres such as cotton, silk and linen, are created using traditional handloom weaving techniques by Womenweave in Maheshwar and the Karghewale collective working with the new generation of handweavers in Madyha Pradesh, central India.

The collection of skirts, dresses, shirts and robes are sewn near Maheshwar by Kumbaya, a sewing cooperative that supports vulnerable women and pays them fairly.

WOVEN uses only AZO-free dyes,organically produced elastic for waistbands, and corozo buttons that biodegrade naturally. The brand is working towards using 100% natural dyes within the next 18 months.

WOVEN ships its products to consumers using recycled and re-useable packaging and minimum labelling. The collection is shipped from India using Freighbrokers, a courier broker who are 125% carbon positive.

At the Womenweave Collective senior weaver Sunita Arande explains: “We weave to pay for our children’s educations or to feed our families. It’s work we love because we’re all together facing the same challenges and sharing the same successes. We don’t know all the places our weaves go in this world, but we know that people everywhere like them very much.”

London-based textile designer Laura Miles set up WOVEN in 2019 after visiting Maheshwa to help the Womenweave Collective expand their collection of designs and broaden their market throughout the fashion world.

Over several visits to India Laura fell in love with the collection. The idea to create a modern fashion collection in a versatile colour palette from the marvellous sustainable fabrics was born.

An in-demand freelance textile designer for more than 20 years, Laura understands the skill and process involved in hand weaving cloth. She wanted to translate this love of the craft into a collection of modern wearable garments.

That collection is WOVEN.

It is available via www.woven-london.com and at Laura Miles’ shop at 400, Caledonian Road, London N1 1DN

The selection of garments changes regularly as new fabric designs are created by the handloom weavers in India. The price range runs from £125 for a shirt to £160 for a set of pyjamas. The size range runs from a UK 8 -16

Working through her London studio, Laura has travelled the world to work with indigenous weaving groups in countries as varied as Uzbekistan, Indonesia and India. She had felt for many years that highly specialised weaving techniques and handloom fabric deserved to be seen and worn by a wider global market.

In her “day job”, Laura designs woven fabrics and consults for fashion houses, interior brands and textile mills throughout the world. Her clients have included Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Ralph Lauren, Roksanda, Christopher Kane and Erdem.

For further details and more images, contact Laura Miles at WOVEN on laura@wovenstudiolondon.com or 07930534721

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