Collection: Alamwar

The Alamwar story begins with blocks.

Hand-carved wooden blocks with designs of tropical flowers and coconut palms, creepers of jasmine and rose, birds such as parrots and peacocks, animals such as monkeys and tigers, all came together in the creation of the elaborate textiles of the Deccan Plateau in Southern India. Commissioned by the Rajas and Nawabs, these hand-printed and hand-painted textiles came to be known as Chintz and Paisley.

Indian Textiles are known to be some of the oldest in the world and date back to 2500 BC. The color intensity of the natural dyes, and the high quality of the fabrics were renowned. Travelers and merchants that came to India carried back tales of spices, exquisite silks and cottons to Europe and the Far East. These early explorers were instrumental in creating a trade for Indian textiles in the early 17th century.

Textiles in India are intrinsically interwoven into the lives of people, and often depicted stories of the heroes and gods. As they achieved economic importance, they were used as a commodity and traded for other goods.

Alamwar’s archives of blocks, hand carved out of wood, speak of this very period and record the textile history of the Deccan region. The brand's design vocabulary is an amalgam of cross-cultural trade and is visible in their stylized prints and designs. Alamwar Home Collections are created using hand-crafted textiles of fine linen, silk, and cotton.

The brand continues to honor and support weavers, embroiderers, dyers and painters of cloth, artisans who have honed and perfected their skill through generations. Their intricate handwork, dedication and passion is reflected in Alamwar's collections.

Alamwar has always prioritized sustainability, empowerment, and ethical production, with use of natural, botanical-dyes and azo-free dyes to ensure a low environmental impact. For over 20 years, Alamwar has stood by the merits of “small batch” production, honoring the principles involved in creating Slow Textiles.

MEET THE FOUNDERS

Viji Reddy is an award-winning multi-media artist who has an abiding interest and passion for handmade textiles. Her textile designs and products are outer manifestations of her own spiritual journey. Her passion for interior design inspired her to create an extensive collection of linens and products for the home. As a painter, ceramist and textile designer, she is also a thoroughly modern woman at the front of an arc that reaches back to ancient craft-traditions of India. She has a powerful sense of entrepreneurship that she leverages to help others - her embroidery is done by an Indian NGO that elevates and empowers women in rural India. Her collections combine age-old printing, dyeing, weaving and embroidery techniques. Viji also has her own workshops in India where a group of skilled artisans translate her ideas into exquisite products for contemporary living. Viji travels the world displaying her award-winning textiles in international shows and has curated museum exhibits on Indian textiles, and she is also a collector of exemplary and priceless antique textiles of South Asia. After raising her children and sending them off into the world, she is now intent on bringing the same nurturing, grace, style, and excitement to the Alamwar Luxury Lifestyle Brand.

Archi Reddy is the younger of the two sisters who mirrors the passion interest in preserving textiles amongst the women in the Alamwar family. After starting a family, Archi took the cerebral road of running several business ventures and managing family finances. During that time, her sister Viji introduced Indian textiles to western fashion. Today, with their individual families on a set course, Archi decided to combine her forces with her sister. In this respect, Archi brings the necessary skills to give honest meaning and assurance to the idea of corporate social responsibilities and the triple bottom line. Archi shares the same tastes and has her own collection of rare textiles and jewelry whose modern interpretations are reflected in the Alamwar collection.