Stitched with Story: The Spirit of Kutch Embroidery and Our New Handcrafted Jackets

Some pieces take longer to make because they ask to be felt before they are formed.

Last October, we travelled to India in search of something deeper than fabric. We were looking for connection, meaning, and a way of making that still honoured the human hand. What we found became the foundation of our newest collection.

In the Kutch region of Gujarat in western India, embroidery has been used for centuries as a form of storytelling. Passed from mother to daughter, these stitches were never simply decorative. They were a language. A way of expressing identity, protection, dreams, land, and belonging.

Each community developed its own visual codes. Flowers symbolised growth. Peacocks represented beauty and pride. Geometric forms reflected balance and the natural world. Mirror work, known as shisha, was believed to reflect light and ward off negative energy. These embroidered textiles were traditionally used for weddings, dowries, birth celebrations, and ceremonial dress. A woman’s stitches could tell you who she was and where she came from.

This philosophy of slow, meaningful making is what inspired our new embroidered jackets.

Our October Journey to India

While in India, we were introduced to Sachin and his incredible team. From the beginning, it felt like alignment. Not only in aesthetic, but in values. Together, we spoke about honouring craft, fair work, time, and intention. What followed were months of conversations, sampling, reworking, and dreaming.

Stepping into Sachin’s workshop felt like a dream for this textile lover. Stacks of antique fabrics. Stories folded into cloth. The scent of incense in the air. Chai in our hands. Sitting together, talking through my ideas, sketching, imagining, feeling our way forward.

This was never a transaction. It was a collaboration.

Sachin originates from Gujarat, the land where these traditions were born, and he was deeply touched by how much we wanted to work with and honour his heritage craft. There was so much mutual respect in that space. For time. For story. For the hands behind the work.

We spent long, hot, sweaty days choosing quilt after quilt, laying them out, pairing them, feeling into the right combinations until they felt like they belonged together. It was instinctive, emotional, and deeply intentional.

Sachin and his team of artisans helped us turn ideas into something real. Not just garments, but stories you can wear. Their hands, patience, and precision are stitched into every piece. These are not fast fashion jackets. They are slow, considered, deeply human creations.

Introducing the Devi Jacket, Waistcoat, and Hendrix Jacket

From this collaboration, three special pieces were born.

The Devi Jacket is a celebration of feminine strength and softness. Named after the Sanskrit word for goddess, she carries an energy of protection, beauty, and quiet power. Her embroidery draws from ancient motifs that speak of balance, growth, and inner knowing.

The Waistcoat is a grounding, versatile piece designed to move with you through seasons and stories. Its embroidery feels like something found rather than made, like it has already lived a life before you.

The Hendrix Jacket holds a bolder energy. Expressive, free, and unapologetic. It is for movement, music, and spirit. A piece that feels alive.

Both the Devi Waistcoat and the Hendrix Jacket carry subtle nods to our block print roots, with linings that reflect where Naked Generation began. We have used block printed kantha quilts to complement the antique embroidery, allowing old and new to meet gently and respectfully.

Slow Fashion, Heritage Craft, and Why This Matters

Each of these garments is intentionally limited. Not because scarcity is a trend, but because slow craft demands it. Real hands can only make so much. And beauty deserves time.

These pieces are not replicas of traditional Kutch embroidery, but they are deeply inspired by its philosophy. Story over speed. Meaning over mass. Soul over perfection.

When you wear one of these jackets, you are wearing more than a garment. You are carrying a thread of history. A moment from our October journey. The hands of Sachin and his team. And the belief that clothing can still be sacred.

Thank you for being part of this story.