Nomad Clothing

As part of today's blogathon I've been asked to write a little about Nomads Clothing. I feel in my heart and mind the same passion that so many other fantastic people do when they have visited India for the first time. Not uncommonly will this love express itself through an initiative to do good. This is of course what made Vicky and Duncan set up Nomads Clothing.

And what better choice than to trade rather than aid in garments? The clothing trade is one of India's largest exports and employers, and the variety of techniques and crafts in textiles is unimaginable.

Nomads Clothing use a lot of blockprinting which originates from Rajasthan (check my musings from my recent trip here). Especially the autumnal colours of this season evoke a stylish bohemian look, and although most of the collection consists of cosy daywear, if you style it right you can wear this comfortable collection throughout the day.

My 3 favourite picks from the collection

Handloom handbag, embellished hem trousers and blockprinted tulip skirt.

1. The Handloom Handbag is made from the very textile that Gandhi advocated would bring India independence. Craftsmen will use no electricity as they weave together around 1-1.2 metres of fabric per day, it takes patience and skill - two resources that only demand will help this craft survive.

2. With Nomads Clothing being experts in harem pants and printed leggings I knew there was going to be a perfect piece to feature. These Harem Trousers are sleek yet comfortably roomy and soft, perfect for those days when don't only want to look good, but also feel good. The embroidery at the hem brings this style exactly that extra pinch needed to make you able to wear this into the nights. Check out more about hoe Nomads Clothing helps keeping embroidery crafts alive on their website here.

3. The Short Skirt with a nicely autumn shaded blockprint with tree motives. With the super practical pockets you will never wander around wondering where to put your phone. More interestingly the technique of blockprinting is one of India's gems. Wooden blocks are cut out and coordinated according to the number of colours needed. Most costly are the 10-coloured fabrics that take weeks and weeks to produce. Each colour is printed individually and the printers have minute attention to detail as they press the block down with millimetre preciseness. When printing this style, I'm sure the printer enjoyed a few days of relaxed random pressing. I hope for any wearer of this skirt to think of him and smile as they look down at their gorgeous randomly printed trees.

Please follow the blogathon by clicking the image below and enter the give-away on Twitter just by retweeting any tweet with the hashtag #ethicalfashionblogathon (details here).