We are a brand born during the pandemic year. An year when times seemed so uncertain and the outcomes unpredictable. However, one thing was very clear - the voice in my head , that this is the journey I want to embark on - a journey of self discovery , learning and making a small yet sustainable difference to the weavers and artisans of India.
Our Story
Meet the founder
I am Swetha, a hard-core techie who worked in the technology space for 17+ years spanning across legacy technologies, domains and over the last decade focused on Analytics and AI led digital transformation. I am one of those who wore sarees during my B-school days @ Indian School Of Business and was very comfortable draping my cottons during client presentations at work. It just felt right and I struggled to understand why our own sarees had become such a rarity in our own daily spaces and wardrobes! I am delighted that I could finally turn my passion for handwoven textiles into a full-time engagement as an entrepreneur, and hence came alive "The Indian Motif” in Aug 2020.
Heart Behind the Indian Motif
I’ve always believed a saree isn’t just six yards of fabric. It’s six yards of stories, sass, and soul. When I started The Indian Motif, it wasn’t just about building a brand. It was about rediscovering ourselves , our craft heritage, a forgotten feeling — the comfort of cottons at work, the drama of silks at festivals, the joy of draping something that feels like you.
Somewhere along the way we stopped wearing our handlooms every day, and I kept asking myself… why should something so beautiful be locked away for “special occasions” only? That’s where this journey began.
From humble weaver homes in Kanchipuram to the grand looms of Banaras, I’ve witnessed artisans carry centuries of heritage in their hands. Each saree, dupatta, and fabric we bring you is more than craft. It’s a journey of patience, resilience, and love. Woven through stories, laughter, and the rhythm of everyday life, these pieces remind us that true beauty lies in the perfectly imperfect - just like life itself.
For me, The Indian Motif isn’t about selling. It’s about belonging to a community that loves craft, values people, and celebrates joy in the everyday.
So come drape a story, laugh with us, twirl in your handloom, and let’s make handmade our comfort clothing again.
Crafted by Heritage, Curated with Purpose
The vision of "The Indian Motif '' is to bring in sustained demand/income for handloom weavers and textile handicraft artisans thereby encouraging and rewarding for them to continue their craft. Our mission is to create an exquisite and accessible collection of sarees and clothing, that represents the best of Indian textile handcrafts and make it available to craft connoisseurs globally.
We source our products ethically from 40+ handweaving and textile handicraft artisan clusters across India , including 20+ GI tagged textile crafts. All products in our collection are purely handwoven or hand crafted and made from pure fabrics only - i.e. either pure cotton, silk, linen or silk cotton fabric. No poly-based fibres or commoditized machine-made products are a part of our collection.
Our curated collection includes a beautiful collection of sarees (pure cotton, pure silk and pure silk cotton, linens), a collection of handcrafted stoles and dupattas for women and handcrafted blouses. We do have our signature collection, in which we try a fusion of multiple crafts to create an exquisite experiential product for the customer. In addition to the above, we are passionate about supporting the textile crafts that are being forgotten and lost - and consciously work with artisans to make such weaves a part of our collection. For instance - kaikattu sungudi, Udupi, kunbi sarees etc. Apart from sarees, we also have a small clothing collection for men and kids made of pure handcrafted fabrics.
More Than a Store. An Experience
While we started as a pure online brand due to the pandemic, we expanded to having our first experience store in Bengaluru in June 2022. The store is a space where one can experience, understand and appreciate the diversity and stories of Indian handcrafted textiles.
In the last 3+ years of operations, our focus has been on creating awareness about our native handcrafted textiles rather than selling them as a commodity. We think of ourselves as a bridge between the magicians of the loom and the connoisseurs of loom-craft
Hope you find our space enjoyable and exciting!
You could write to us at swetha@theindianmotif.com or theindianmotif@gmail.com with your thoughts and feedback.
Love Always,
Swetha
Our Contact Address
Ragi To Raga,
Shankaraa Foundation,
Doddakalasandra, Kanakapura Road
Bengaluru - 560062
+918296240103