Anokhi (Hindi for "remarkable" or "unique") is an Indian retailer based in

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

, which retails textiles, clothing, furnishings, and accessories, made with traditional Indian motifs and techniques. It was founded in 1970 by husband and wife, John and Faith Singh, with a focus on reviving traditional

Rajasthani Rajasthani may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Rajasthan, a state of India * Rajasthani languages, a group of languages spoken there * Rajasthani people, the native inhabitants of the region * Rajasthani architecture * Rajasthani art ...

hand-block or woodcut printing techniques, and the use of natural vegetable dyes. Anokhi works directly with Rajasthani craftspeople, and retails through its 25 stores in India and a few stockists in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

History

Anokhi was started by John and Faith Singh in 1970, with the aim of creating contemporary products using traditional Indian techniques. Anokhi's focus was on reviving the hand-block printing techniques of Rajasthani craftspeople in an era of mass-produced clothing.

Operations

Anokhi works directly with artisans who live in villages around Jaipur. The designs are made in-house and are then delivered, along with fabrics, dyes, and woodblocks, to the artisans who finish the prints in their homes. As block-printing has been traditionally practised by males, Anokhi involves rural women by commissioning their work in areas such as

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...

appliqué Appliqué is ornamental needlework in which pieces or patches of fabric in different shapes and patterns are sewn or stuck onto a larger piece to form a picture or pattern. It is commonly used as decoration, especially on garments. The technique ...

beadwork Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary b ...

and

patchwork Patchwork or "pieced work" is a form of needlework that involves sewing together pieces of fabric into a larger design. The larger design is usually based on repeating patterns built up with different fabric shapes (which can be different colors) ...

; to encourage women in villages to seek employment, Anokhi runs a daycare centre at the manufacturing plant and provides educational support for their children.

Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing

The company also runs the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing in

, which was reported in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' to be the only museum in India dedicated to the art of hand-block printing. The museum is located in a restored

haveli A ''haveli'' is a traditional townhouse, mansion, manor house, in the Indian subcontinent, usually one with historical and architectural significance, and located in a town or city. The word ''haveli'' is derived from Arabic ''hawali'', mean ...

whose restoration work was awarded the UNESCO Heritage Award for Cultural Conservation in 2000.

Bibliography

References

External links

*{{official, anokhi.com
Anokhi USAAnokhi Museum of Hand Printing - Lonely Planet
Clothing retailers of India Clothing brands of India Home decor retailers Textile companies of India Clothing companies established in 1970 Retail companies established in 1970 Indian companies established in 1970 Companies based in Rajasthan 1970 establishments in Rajasthan