Wood & Yarn creates an awareness of every stage of the making process

Wood & Yarn has been inspired by the rich textile history of India, it strives to sustain ancient indigenous textile art form techniques. Started in 2012 by Anju Nair, Chennai-based Wood & Yarn sells artisan-made sarees and fabrics through Instagram via emails and direct messages. For offline selling, the startup has launched its own store in Chennai and also is a part of carefully curated shows.

It was the memory of the authentic weaves — and the fact that it was gasping for breath — that caught Anju's attention towards her present work: To revive, sustain and diversify the use of the traditional weaves of India.

Anju has been guided by her mother Kala Thamby, an established textile designer from Chennai with 30 years of experience. Wood & Yarn strives to sustain ancient indigenous textile art form techniques, with a strong emphasis on quality, detailing and craftsmanship. Anju always wanted to bring ever-evolving collections for the audience that is original yet affordable.

The startup is also working on its website, which is expected to be live soon. Wood & Yarn has around 300 SKUs currently. With a team of 25 people including weavers, karigars, and hand dyers, the brand has always believed in empowering artisans and the startup plans to expand across India now.

"Every design purchased from Wood & Yarn impacts and helps us provide a livelihood to weavers, dyers and printers, and it also helps to preserve the skill," says Anju Nair.

Last year, the bootstrapped startup clocked revenue of Rs 20 lakh. It is now looking to grow rapidly more than 100% every year in the next five years. 

The startup plans to achieve this growth by serving the unmet demand for contemporary designs as women want to make a personal style statement rather than a fashion statement.