Cotton Tale

Over the past 10 years, India’s rapid growth aka Progress has offered hope of a better life for many, but not everyone, especially India’s living treasures, it’s rural Artisans and Craftspeople, who now are crying out for their government’s intervention to help save their traditional cultures and trades from dying out in the faceoff against massive industrialization. Blatant profiteering by fellow country folk and other corporate nationals plays like a good over evil battle with global outsourcing and mergers at the epicenter combined with a real lack of any national environmental concern or guidance. Some of the real issues at the forefront of the planet’s Spiritual Motherland highlight multiple tiers of hazard and hardship and perhaps are best symbolized by the pesticide ingesting suicides of over 200,000 destitute cotton farmers whose crop failure can often be traced to the planting of expensive genetically modified breeds of cotton in tandem with the chemicals required to maintain them. Slowly farmers are waking up from the placebo effect initiated by false prophets of toxic farming. The movement back to less expensive, lower-risk organic farming methods offers a bona fide solution for the entire cotton-growing crisis in India but without a sea change in world demand, agriculture policy and practices, thousands of Indian farmers and artisans are destined for a downward spiral.

July 2012 Preparing THE ORGANIC FIELD for sowing - photo by Kshitish Das/Odisha
Our re:Evolution began during the summer monsoon of 2012 on 4 acres of land with the planting of non GMO cotton variety Organic seeds in coordination with tribal farmers and a local weavers society in the most neglected region of India. AtelierOM commits wholeheartedly to support this transition toward certification as “Organic” and will encourage a radial expansion of farming to consumer projects across borders with the intention to grow and market superior and sustainable regional textiles that ultimately benefit partners and their communities.


Odisha Tribal Farmers - photo by Kshitish Das
All in all the textiles and production mission of AtelierOM is to encourage the healthful shift toward organic farming, away from pesticides and other harmful practices involved with use of synthetic dyes and to simultaneously encourage solutions in the over usage of energy and water all along textile processes. 
villagers preparing Organic Variety seeds for sowing photo by Kshitish Das
All of these efforts built upon the foundation of FAIR TRADE - equal opportunity, benefits and compulsory standards for every worker and artisan alike. 
two by two sowing seeds - photo by Kshitish Das
With a “Slow Fashion” revolution, it is our goal to become one of the most ethical and environmentally concerned vertical sources for Indian materials and products made collaboratively with traditional Artisans, young local Designers and Village Farmers.Due diligence is our mantra - with every supplier initiated into an inner circle of our collective as an eco conscious partners.