It has been an honor and joy to experience and share one of the beautiful craft traditions of India and i remain indebted to the ikat weavers of Pochampally and near by villagers.
Karen Otsea
As another strange COVID-skewed year comes to a close, I remain indebted to and full of admiration for my partners in Telangana and Bengaluru, whose crafts are integral to my business.
Several years ago, I first visited the ikat weavers in Pochampally and nearby villages. My love for handloom only deepened by seeing these artisans at work. Their gorgeous ikat creations became the foundation of my business K-O THREADS: bringing these distinctive, vibrant ikat fabrics to the USA in the form of stylish, tailored shirts and tunics. K-O THREADS garments are also ethically stitched in partnership with a small fair-trade workshop in Bengaluru whose mission is to empower vulnerable women through skills training and employment.
“I have learned much from others in Telangana, mostly women, who are leading efforts to support artisans and craft traditions with fair wages and other sustainable business practices”
Early in the K-O THREADS adventure I met Hyderabad photo-journalist Kandukuri Ramesh Babu whose beautiful work and understanding of handloom traditions have enhanced my appreciation of the artform. I have procured beautiful ikats from Gajam Shankar of Hyderabad’s Mani Maya Exports even during COVID. And I have learned much from others in Telangana, mostly women, who are leading efforts to support artisans and craft traditions with fair wages and other sustainable business practices, such as Sudha Rani Mullapudi of Abhihaara and Vijaya Switha of Chitrika.
It has been an honor and joy to experience and share one of the beautiful craft traditions of India.
Her story : India & Telangana
Karen Otesea, founder and owner of K-O THREADS is a health professional. About three decades of her professional life, she has been improving women’s and girls’ access to critical health services in countries throughout Africa and Asia. Her work took her frequently to India, where she developed a deep appreciation for the people and cultures, and delighted in their many artisan traditions and the brilliant colors of everyday life.
A long-time seamstress and textile enthusiast, Karen’s love of fabrics, color and patterns, drove her to markets in search of local products like ikat.
A long-time seamstress and textile enthusiast, Karen’s love of fabrics, color and patterns, drove her to markets in search of local products. She rarely returned from a trip without some fabric folded neatly into her suitcase. Back home in Durham, North Carolina, she began using her stash of unique, Indian fabrics especially our Ikat to design shirts and tunics for her family. The garments got rave reviews from friends and even strangers; some called them knock-outs. Thus an unique contemporary garments production of her company was born.
Since then she has been visiting rural Telangana artisans and purchasing ikat fabrics from the weavers in their homes and at handloom cooperative societies. Producing well tailored shirts and tunics for people with uncommon tastes.
You can visit her website and Instagram for more details.