Ek Katha is a line of luxury women’s clothing that values cultural craftsmanship as well as sustainability through its products. Instead of screaming fast fashion, Ek Katha aims to pique the interests of customers who are thoughtful of their fashion and cloth choices with a good eye for style and sourcing.
Started by Madhumita Nath in 2016 and incorporated in 2022, Ek Katha was established when a knack for creativity met the need for awareness of lost art forms in the country. The brand’s commitment to using sustainable materials demonstrates their environmentally-friendly approach. The clothing can also be described as trans-seasonal, and can be worn throughout the year. Follow our conversation with Madhumita as she talks about the impact she wants to make through Ek Katha, which is both fashionable and luxurious and uses safe and biodegradable materials.
Understanding handlooms – How Ek Katha came to be
After earning my degrees from the J.J. School of Art followed by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, I formed a broad perspective of the craft and the craftsman. I was inherently drawn to crafts and ended up working with them. Ever since then, I decided to pursue this path that allows me to keep such crafts alive through unique designs and environmentally friendly raw materials. One of the crafts that stood out to me was the Batik block printing craft of Gujarat. It completely fascinated me along with handloom weaving. I had a high drive towards working with materials that were as natural as possible which allowed me to explore different grades of cotton that can be used for these techniques.
Ek Katha was an accidental yet a blissful entrepreneurial venture that originated when I was working extensively in this field. I had a great passion to take my work to the next level. I created a brand that would help me cater to customers who prioritized such ideals during their purchases without compromising on style and comfort.
Establishing a set of solid ideals – Ek Katha’s USP
We give great attention to the materials being used for our products. Experimenting with materials and testing them out is what allows me to use my creativity and develop products that are worth coming back for. We make use of non-GMO Desi Organic Cotton which cuts down the usage of pesticides and excessive water for its production.
All of the dyes used for the craft are sourced from natural raw materials and contain no toxic chemicals. After the material selection comes the process through which the product is created. Our products use handloom for weaving combined with the Batik craft, resulting in elegant hand-woven clothing.
Debunking the narrative that hand-made clothing can not be comfortable is our top priority. Once the customer understands how comfortable and feasible using sustainable and traditionally produced clothing can be, they can get acquainted with our products much more easily. We want our products to be more than just a piece of clothing. We want them to retell the story of handlooms and dying crafts to the customers, one woven fabric at a time. In order to achieve such high levels of intricacy in our products, we ensure that our production is in small batches.
This comes entirely from authentic artisans who also receive a fair and transparent share for their efforts and hardwork that goes into making the products. Sharing a bond of trust and transparency with the artisans and weavers makes the collaboration smoother. Keeping such strong and well-defined ideals has helped us create a wide range of products that can narrate a bigger cause that is more than just a customer’s perception of our products.
Understanding customer base to the T – What product differentiation looks like at Ek Katha
In order to break into such a niche market, it is essential to understand what a typical customer is looking for. Since our line is focused on creating clothing for females between the ages of 30 to 55, understanding their expectations was crucial. In terms of brand differentiation, Ek Katha’s signature craft work is without a doubt, the Batik work. This throws light on the dying craft and allows room for more artisans working on this craft to express their curations on a larger scale.
However, this is not the only thing a woman looks for while browsing for a good piece of clothing. A variety of factors came into consideration which helped us establish our ideal customer. They are shoppers that hold traditionally made products in high ground while being intact with present trends in fashion. They also believe in purchasing from a brand that does its part to contribute positively to the environment through its use of natural and chemical free raw materials.
Keeping this in mind, we curated a range that is trans-seasonal and highlights themes that are light and bohemian all finished with traditional fabric and technique. Our products mainly include tops, skirts, tunics and kurtis that come in a completely eco-friendly packaging at a price range of Rs. 3,500-50,000. We have established our B2B brand with both online and offline marketplaces through our personal website, Nykaa and Amazon along with exclusive walk-in stores.
Representation and Awareness – What the future looks like at Ek Katha
By expanding our presence further, we want to make Ek Katha stand out from its competition in more ways than one. Profits go hand in hand with a bigger cause that ensures underrated crafts like Batik and handloom Khadi are well-received and become synonymous with sustainability and comfort.
We are also Craftmark certified by AIACA in the craft of Batik and our collaboration with NICEorg only advocates our motto to make handicrafts more predominant in the industry. Our ultimate goal is to continue developing connections that resonate with our cause and establish ourselves strongly in the cultural enterprise and sustainability sector.
NICEorg wishes Ek Katha the best of luck in its journey ahead!
If your cultural enterprise is in any of our five focus sectors and you would be interested in being featured, write to us at NICEorg
