adi [Sanskrit] — the first in time, beginning ; valka [Sanskrit] — covering, the bark of a tree
AdiValka — the first protective covering
India’s textiles have been renowned the world over for millennia for their quality, color, styles, designs, and most importantly their appropriateness and adaptability. AdiValka was born from the desire to create a product that had a deep connection with, and roots within, Indian apparel.
Our vision from the start was threefold: protection, comfort & adaptability — we wanted to create versatile, contemporary products inspired by the history of Indian textiles, art and culture, Ayurveda, yoga and Indic traditions.
While AdiValka launched on June 21st, 2018 — the seed was sown two and a half years prior to that date. Manisha Naidu, co-founder and designer of AdiValka, a novice yoga practitioner at the time felt a need for an alternate form of activewear to the yoga pants and nylon wear that characterise the market today. Dissatisfied with any of the solutions she came across, Manisha decided to take it on herself to develop attire that reflected the need she perceived. Thus, AdiValka began to take shape.
For two and a half years, Manisha thoroughly studied the history of Indian textiles and Indian fashions, in order to achieve her goal of combining the best of Indic apparel traditions with the modern design language of fashion. Teaming up with Jayakumar, co-founder of AdiValka, the duo began translating the research into reality. Fueled by the same fire — the Indic civilizational heritage — Manisha and Jaya, each in their own way and through their own experiences, felt the need to give shape and form to what has been a source of inspiration for many designers for millennia.
To fill the vacuum in the market for pants that were comfortable, functional, and made from natural fibers, Manisha extensively studied the kinds of clothes yogis had worn back in the day, initially focusing her study on female yogis. Through this study, she developed the concept of Adivalka’s signature dhoti pants as a tailor-made garment for yoga practitioners that also doubled as street fashion.
AdiValka’s dhoti pants are inspired from the kachche dhoti style — the kind of dhoti pants that were most commonly worn in India while practicing dance, yoga, sword fighting, kalaripayattu and so on. One of the primary requirements of the garment was that it be draped such that the wearer felt no restrictions while practicing their chosen art, sport, and activity.
AdiValka’s dhoti pants at their core are functional, stylish and adaptable, similar to its inspiration — a garment that in essence was a cloth wrapped around one’s waist, draped to different lengths and in different styles depending on the occasion.
AdiValka is our humble and contemporaneous effort to celebrate the unity of both style and function with everyday life with designs that reflect a deep harmony of fabric, color, comfort, and style. As we reflect on our first year, we’re thankful that our designs have resonated with people from all over the world — going as far as Europe, the USA, and even Australia.
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