Discover East
EAST & Anokhi have a very special relationship. It was after all Anokhi which inspired the launch of our original women's clothing shops in Britain. Our past has been intrinsically linked with Anokhi and we're proud of our continuing partnership.
Founded in 1970 in Jaipur, India, Anokhi is an extraordinary company. It's celebrated for its hand block printing and is well known for its success in preserving and revitalising traditional textile skills. Yet, the trait that makes it especially unique is its philosophy - based on a commitment to the people who make the products. Anokhi does everything in its power to maintain an open and honest relationship with its craftspeople, helping them to have good working conditions and a commitment to providing sustained work.
Producing hand crafted garments takes a great amount of time, energy and skill. In order to create printed fabric, firstly, a block of wood must be carved. Anokhi's block makers hand-carve designs out of teak wood. This can take up to 80 hours for a single colour block. Another craftsperson will then print the cloth, one stamp at a time. Cloth is hand stamped between 700 - 1,000 times to complete just three metres of fabric. Anokhi further champions traditional techniques in colouring the fabric. Colourists hand-mix vegetable and mineral dyes and the natural colour variations add to the beauty and individuality of the finished fabric.
Much of the printing and production is done in small workshops in and around the family run Anokhi Farm in Jaipur. Today, Anokhi also has skilled craftspeople producing appliqué, hand embroidery and beadwork. We've embraced all of these skills and more in the Anokhi product we sell at EAST.
Our designers work extremely closely with the Anokhi team in Jaipur to create the range of 'Anokhi for EAST' products you see on our website and in our stores. The hand block prints and design of our Anokhi products are exclusive to EAST. You won't find these anywhere else and we hope you'll agree that they are incredibly special and unique pieces.
You can read more about Anokhi on their website.
If you happen to be in India we recommend visiting one of the many Anokhi shops and if you are in Jaipur, the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing is incredibly inspiring and engaging.
