AdiValka’s collections always stem from a moment of deep inspiration. With our first ever collection, the ikat collection, we were enamoured with the Indian tradition of weaving and so used that to create the mini-collection. With Embracing Ogha, our first true collection, we decided to honour the concept that inspired our brand itself, uninterrupted Indic traditions. And with Kalakrama, we take the next step in our journey.

AdiValka honours the generational knowledge, connection and effort that form the bedrock of our uninterrupted traditions with our new collection, Kalakrama: The Rule of Art Sanctioned By Tradition, formed at the confluence of the age-old traditions of kalamkari fabrics and handloom fabrics honouring the skill of textile artists. Each design represents AdiValka’s mission of bringing together the Indic traditions of fabric making and clothing, with the contemporary idiom of fashion. Our use of the kalamkari fabrics and motifs in our garments symbolises the interconnectedness of the rich Indic heritage that inspires us everyday.

Kalamkari, known in Sanskrit as Pattachitra (patta = cloth, chitra = picture) prior to medieval Islamic rule in India, is an art form still found in Orissa and other parts of India. Under medieval Islamic rule, the practice was popularized under the name Kalamkari meaning drawing with a pen (kalam = pen, kari = craftmanship) under the patronage of the Golconda sultanate.

The art of Kalamkari has evolved over the last 3000 years to form what today is a meticulous and adaptable process that allows it to be accessible to a wider range of consumers. An eco-friendly art form, only natural dyes such as roots, berries, bark, leaves, wood, fungi, and lichens are used in the production process. The artisans we work with to source our fabrics hand-block printed each and every detail and motif, creating a final product we fell in love with — only the best for our customers.

In Indic tradition, people have always been connected with nature, and have used it as a source of inspiration for myriad art forms (Kalamkari included). Artisans have also been inspired by deities and scenes taken from the Hindu epics — Ramayana, Mahabharatha, Purana and the mythological classics — thereby immortalizing in art the principles and values that governed their everyday lives.

The next step in our journey at AdiValka, Kalakrama represents our effort to bring forth a product that not only fulfils the promise we make of garments that are adaptable, comfortable and protective, but also continue to link you directly to the vast, rich heritage of Indic fabric making, fashion design and the very essence of Indic culture itself.