SIX DECADES SINCE ITS ORIGIN, BAREFOOT IN COLOMBO REMAINS DEDICATED TO LATE FOUNDER BARBARA SANSONI'S LOVE OF HANDLOOM.

Amid a kaleidoscope of colours in the upholstery section of Barefoot's store in Colombo, the rolls of material stand out for their vibrant variations of green.

- RAHUL JACOB

Look closer and you will discover that each hand-woven material has its own name; "Alone in the paddy field" is the name of one, another is called "Garden shed". Just as some people believe talking to plants helps them grow better, Barefoot's late founder Barbara Sansoni respected the process of handloom weaving so much that she felt each new design should go out into the world with a name.

This almost parental protectiveness for the craft extended to how fabric could be used. Even for the dresses in its clothing section, the cutting is expected to honour the original design. "Barbara's thinking was that we should not waste any fabric that comes off the loom," says Shaunagh Aluwihare, head of clothing design at Barefoot. To this day, the piping on Barefoot's shoulder bags, for instance, is material from its men's shirting-a range that struggles against the strict rules on how woven fabric must be cut and the shirts end up oversized and boxy. No darts or zips are added to women's dresses. The focus must always be on colour and the fabric.