Kutch Wool Weaving
Ramesh Bunkar
Bhujodi, Kutch, Gujarat
Desert wool and kala cotton, dyed with indigo and pomegranate rind.
Ramesh weaves shawls, stoles and throws in the extra-weft tradition of the Vankar community of Bhujodi, using locally spun sheep and camel wool and rain-fed kala cotton.
- 27
- years weaving
- 5
- family members supported
- 3
- pieces for sale
At the loom with Ramesh
Ramesh Bunkar, Kutch Wool Weaving
The film is being edited and will appear here.
Ramesh's story
In Bhujodi almost every courtyard has a loom, and Ramesh grew up to the sound of a dozen of them at once. His father wove blankets for Rabari herders in exchange for raw wool; Ramesh still buys his wool from the same families.
After the 2001 earthquake destroyed the family workshop, he rebuilt it with his own hands and switched to natural dyes — indigo, madder and pomegranate rind — because, he says, the colours age the way the desert does.
Today he leads a group of eleven weavers. The collective handles photography, orders and shipping so they can spend their days at the loom.
“My designs come from the sand dunes and the embroidery on my mother's blouse.”
Woven by Ramesh
70% of every sale here goes to Ramesh.