Pass It On

With respect for the past and an eye to the future, new label Mastani is Melding traditional with vision for slow fashion with a social conscience.

- Kudrat Makkar

AS A YOUNG GIRL GROWING UP IN THE TOWN of Jalandhar in India, Kudrat Makkar would drape herself in her mother’s handmade saris and shawls.

“My love of fabric and fashion started when I was raiding mum’s wardrobe,” she laughs. “Because I come from a very small city there was really no contemporary fashion at all, but mum had a lot of heirloom pieces and that’s how I learned about quality and craftsmanship.”

As she grew a little older, Makkar would accompany her mother to visit the artisans who made those garments. “Mum would go to all these small embroiderers and craftspeople who worked by hand and she would explain how everything was done,” says Makkar. “In those days you had to buy the fabric, use your imagination and then let the craftspeople work their magic.”