KOMANA textiles all come to life through our own custom-made, hand-painted prints. It all starts with beautiful paper, a pot of ink, and a selection of paintbrushes. We get into a state of flow, tapping into the treasure trove of the subconscious. The patterns start to come alive and provide the foundation of our collections.

 Then it goes from sketch to cloth. The artistic and rudimentary background has to be preserved and remain perceptible, so the brushstrokes are often recognizable in our designs. We print our textiles using silkscreens, digital printing, as well as artisan-made woodblocks. Our fair-trade manufacturing takes place in Jaipur, India, and London, UK.

At the same time, we are dedicated to researching fabrics—working closely with our artisan partners in India who create our wonderful handmade Khadi fabrics, and exploring the qualities and sustainability criteria of new materials and collaborations.

For centuries, beautiful and elaborate patterns have been printed on textiles and paper using the traditional WOODBLOCK PRINT method. Many artisans have carried this craft in their families for generations and continue the tradition in their villages today.

The process begins with block preparation: on a flat, smoothed surface, the pattern is hand-drawn. Then, the negative space is carefully chiselled out using the finest tools—a skill only mastered by highly experienced artisans. Next, colours are mixed and fabrics tested. Only natural dyes are used, with no harmful chemicals, protecting the health of the artisans, the wearer, and the environment. All artisans are paid a fair, living wage and enjoy full employment with many benefits—see our Fair Trade section for more details.

The analog printing process challenges us to adapt our ideas to this age-old method, working in close collaboration with our talented artisans. It’s an interaction, not just an assignment. The labour-intensive process of stamping, one block at a time, is both fascinating and meditative. Pictured is print master Ghanshyam Ji from our artisan partners in India.

This traditional process is also reflected in our choice of fabrics, which are organic and often hand-spun and handwoven. The manual work is visible in every piece—something machines can’t replace. In this way, we help secure jobs and keep an age-old, sustainable craft alive.

SCREEN PRINTING
is a more modern way of applying patterns to textiles. Our screen printing is done by a small, environmentally conscious, family-run factory in Slovenia. 

For DIGITAL PRINTING, we work with GOTS-certified factories that use organic dyes and are mindful of water usage.

We are very thankful to the wonderful people involved in the making of our fabrics and clothes. We only work with suppliers who can guarantee fair labour standards.

Our partners in Jaipur, India lovingly sew and print our Artisan Collections. They are members of the WFTO ( World Fair Trade Organisation) and the Fair Trade Federation. All garments are made in-house using sweatshop-free, fair labour standards. Some of the employee benefits are full time employment, staff bonuses every three months, full medical care and paid holiday leave.We have also been working closely with a small manufacturing unit in London for the past 5 years. They masterly sew our Jersey and Cupro pieces.These tight relationships are most important to us and we are always looking forward to the amiable chats and cups of teas together on our visits.

We work with a variety of beautiful fabrics,
most of them made in India (peace silk, organic cotton) and Turkey (jersey, cupro).

ORGANIC COTTON grows without pesticides or synthetic fertilisers and requires less irrigation as it relies mainly on rainwater. Most of our organic cotton holds the GOTS standard - this requires a minimum of 70% of fibres to be organic and all inputs such as dyestuff and auxiliaries used must meet certain environmental and toxicological criteria. It also requires adherence to certain social standards based on the International Labor Organisation, ensuring safe working conditions and prohibiting discrimination and child labor.

AHIMSA SILK, also known as Peace Silk. The term “Ahimsa” comes from Sanskrit and means ‘not to injure’ and ‘compassion’ and refers to a key virtue in Indian religions. In relation to our silk, this is a natural product where no harm was made to the silk worms. The cocoons are left until the silk worm naturally hatches from its home and start its new life. We work with a small producer in rural North India who pay their workers fairly, practise organic silk worm farming and offer training opportunities for their employees.

CUPRO is a silky soft fabric with a beautiful drape that is fully vegan. It is derived from cotton linter and made in a close-loop production, meaning the chemicals and water used in production are re-used and therefore has a very low environmental impact.