Injiri as written about by Selvedge Magazine March 16th, clothes available from Chapel collection

The name Injiri means ‘real India’ and originates from a name given to prized fabrics exported to Africa in the 18th century. The driving force of the brand is the talented designer Chinar Farooqui, whose passion lies in studying traditional textile, dress and the stories behind them. As a young girl she travelled to craft villages with her mother, who filled their home with handmade cloth, such as local indigo dyed fabrics. Studying fine arts and textile design led the way to Farooqui’s own label, which Selvedge first featured on the pages of our Blue & White issue.

Today, drawing inspiration from folk clothing, her childhood in Rajasthan and love of traditional Indian textile techniques, she designs garments and home textiles at her studio in Jaipur. Using organic cotton, each piece is a hand-crafted tale that’s shaped by artisans and weavers across India, passing through the hands of several karigars (craftspeople) from different parts of India, including rangrez (dyers), bunkars (weavers), darazis (tailors) and dastakars (finishing craftspeople).

The cotton used in the creation of home textiles has been grown and spun in Gujarat. The products are designed to emphasise a traditional Gujarati weaving technique called bhujodi. Injiri clothing is airy, made with a more light weight cotton, sometimes incorporating eri silk. Textile techniques from different parts of the country are explored to achieve textures and patterns. “For me the beauty lies in the process of making”, Farooqui explains. Every stitch, gather and selvedge tells a story.

The common thread among all these influences and techniques is Farooqui’s ‘hand-made’ approach to design, and this serves as the foundation for the philosophy, aesthetic and process behind Injiri.