Fabric Information

Naturally crafted 

We are creative and intentional about using all-natural fabrics that are environmentally sustainable. We select our fabric with the goals of promoting traditional crafts and a circular textile economy. We make our garments to order to minimize wastage. We believe that with purposeful choices and planning, those in the fashion industry can become much better stewards of the environment. The Swahlee model proves this can be done.

Our Capsule Collection is made with the following fabrics:

Handloom

We use beautiful handloom fabric because its creation is people-intensive, leading to more jobs and the preservation of traditional craftmanship. The perfect imperfection of these fabrics is evidence of the human hands behind every weave. 

Our handloom fabrics are sourced from:

Freeset

Freeset is a WFTO certified company that exists to offer employment to people who’ve been marginalized by society. Freeset has strategically placed their facilities in communities written off by society because they believe these communities deserve to live a life of freedom. 

Khaloom

Khaloom is a Bangalore, India based textile design and production house that offers hand woven fabrics from recycled yarns. Khaloom up-cycles waste into a high-end product using a cultural ingrained and zero emission technique. 

Deadstock 

The fashion industry produces a massive amount of waste. It is estimated that an average of 35% of materials in garment production are wasted before a product even reaches the consumer. To make use of this excess fabric, we scoured the famous surplus markets of India to repurpose deadstock rolls of high-quality linens and linen-cottons.

Linen

We love linen because it is a naturally sustainable fabric. It needs no pesticides and very little fertilizer or even irrigation. For the linen in our wide leg trousers, we turned to Herbal Fab, a GOTS certified company based in Ahmedabad, India. With a vision of conserving the environment for future generations, Herbal Fab’s mission is to produce and provide sustainable textiles.

Learn more about Herbal Fab here: https://www.herbalfab.com/

Upcycled cotton saris

All across India women are gorgeously draped in this traditional attire as they go about their day to day lives. From the courtrooms to the classrooms, from the markets to the kitchens, in bustling cities to rural villages, the Indian sari cuts a classic, iconic, colorful silhouette.  

We’ve taken previously worn saris found in our local market and given them new life, so a new batch of women can live in and enjoy their exquisite softness and one-of-a-kind designs. Each of our pieces crafted from upcycled cotton saris are completely unique. No two are exactly alike.