OUR STORY
What does it mean to stay rooted while constantly evolving? At Vriksh, the answer lies in the spirit of a tree — deeply grounded, yet always growing, adapting, and reaching outward. Inspired by nature’s quiet resilience and interconnectedness, Vriksh derives its name from the Sanskrit word for “tree,” embodying endurance, coexistence, and continuous renewal. Much like trees that flourish through seasons of change, Vriksh believes in creating textiles that honour heritage while evolving with time.
Founded in 2008, Vriksh is a Delhi-based design studio with its heart rooted in Odisha’s rich craft traditions. Guided by a crafts-first philosophy, the label reimagines India’s handloom heritage through a contemporary lens, creating handwoven sarees, garments, and textiles in close collaboration with artisanal communities.
At the core of Vriksh lies a commitment to cloth, craft, creativity, and community. The studio works towards preserving and reinventing lesser-known weaving traditions such as Ganjam Bomkai, Dhalapathar Tapestry, Jaala, and cut-shuttle weaving, while introducing innovative interventions in Ikat, narrative textiles, and natural dye techniques.
Drawing inspiration from histories of trade, art, literature, architecture, and everyday life, each collection becomes a dialogue between tradition and modernity.
Our textiles are shaped through meaningful collaborations with master artisans whose generational knowledge forms the foundation of every weave. Together, we explore new textures, motifs, colour stories, and weaving experiments while creating sustainable livelihood opportunities and encouraging creative expression within craft communities.
Vriksh speaks to individuals who value craftsmanship, mindful living, and conscious fashion, creating pieces that are timeless, versatile, and deeply rooted in culture and creativity.
Gunjan Jain is a textile designer, researcher, and artist
whose practice is rooted in the intersection of craft
conservation and contemporary design. She founded Vriksh in 2008 after working
in the export apparel industry.
Over the years, she has worked extensively across India
with diverse craft clusters spanning Ikat weaving, Jamdani,
Kantha embroidery, Sozni, Aari, banana fibre weaving,
Dabu printing, wool weaving, and more. Her work has
been showcased at leading textile and craft exhibitions in
India and internationally, and recognised through honours
including the UNESCO Award for Significant Innovations
in Traditional Crafts and the Award for Excellence in
Crafts by the World Crafts Council.
For Gunjan, Vriksh is not just a label, but a continuing
effort to contribute towards the future of India’s craft
heritage through innovation, collaboration, and mindful
creation.
What bonds us to our weavers?
Vriksh’s early years in Odisha, home to one of the world’s oldest and greatest weaving traditions, have had a profound impact on our work. Rather than simply handing over sheets of paper to weavers to execute designs, we chose to build an egalitarian partnership with them throughout the creative process.
The weavers have been our guides, teaching us the science of handloom, its techniques, and the cultural significance behind motifs and colours. Their experiences, knowledge, and wisdom surrounding the beautiful
tradition of weaving have become the underlying strength of every Vriksh collection. We work with handloom weavers who are masters of their art offering new innovations to the traditional designs while retaining the cultural significance associated with this living tradition. Over the years, our
weavers have won several state and national level awards for innovation in handloom sector. Since 2012 onwards, on many Vriksh sarees, our weavers have achieved several Odisha State Handloom Awards for Best
Design and Weave and were also the recipients of the Government of India's prestigious National Awards for Excellence in Handloom weaving.
