Our Story

Kari / ˈkɑːri /

- Hindi, Sanskrit root

Printed by hand.
Made with heart.

Kari by Kriti creates handcrafted textiles using traditional Indian block printing — stitched by women artisan communities, designed for everyday life in modern homes.

— A brand born from one mother's instinct and a lifelong textile obsession.

Our Story

The face behind
every piece.

I'm a textile person through and through. For over a decade, I worked as a buyer and designer — travelling across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, learning and meeting block printers, weavers and dyers. I had strong opinions about thread counts and the weight of a hand-carved block.

When my son was born in 2014, I knew exactly what bedding I wanted for him.

I just couldn't find it anywhere.

So I decided to make it myself. I went looking for artisans in Jaipur who would help me produce just two sample quilts. Most turned me away — two pieces wasn't worth their time, and a woman with a blog wasn't worth the risk.

Then a young brother and sister said yes.

Together, we hand block-printed two baby quilts in cotton. The kind that gets softer with every wash. I shared them on my blog, and within days people were asking: Can I buy one?

That is how Kari by Kriti began — not from a business plan, but from a mother's stubbornness, a decade of craft knowledge, and two people who believed in the idea before it was anything at all.

— Kriti

The Craft

No machines. No shortcuts.

Every Kari piece starts with a hand-carved wooden block — teak, typically, because it holds detail and lasts generations. An artisan dips it in dye and presses it, one impression at a time, onto cotton fabric.

What you get is something no two pieces share exactly: a slightly thicker bloom of colour here, a hair's-width gap there. These aren't flaws — they're the signature of a human hand. And they're what I fell in love with when I first started working in Indian textiles.

Community & purpose

Craft that creates livelihoods.

We work with 5 artisan partners and NGO collaborators across Hyderabd, Ajmer, Howrah, Bhopal and Jaipur — and the relationships we've built with them are the heart of this brand.

In Jaipur, we work with printing families whose craft knowledge spans generations. In Hyderabad and rest of the cities, we collaborate with women artisan groups who do the stitching, quilting, and finishing — building independent livelihoods close to their homes.

Every Kari piece carries the skill, care, and quiet pride of the people who made it. When you buy something from us, you're part of that chain.

Our Belief

Made slowly. Meant to last.

"Traditional Indian craft doesn't belong behind museum glass. It belongs on your dining table."

I believe in making things slowly — things designed to outlast seasons, trends, and fast-fashion cycles.

And I believe there's something quietly radical about knowing exactly who made something, and how, and with what. That knowledge changes how you hold it. How you use it. How long you keep it.

Thank you for being part of our story. And for helping keep handmade alive.

— Kriti