Bandhani on your sportswear: How an Indian design brand is working to help craftspeople in Kutch

Indian Express

11-07-2025

Last month, when NorBlack NorWhite became the first Indian fashion label to collaborate with sportswear brand Nike, it found itself in the middle of a controversy, which threatened its new line done with the traditional Indian tie-and-dye craft of bandhani. But it recovered quickly and, amid the charges of cultural appropriation by Western fashion houses, stood out for championing a tie-up that's keeping a Kutch artisan community's legacy alive.
An Instagram handle @CuratedCultureSociety incorrectly identified one of the models in NBNW's campaign as a Bangladeshi individual who had made anti-India remarks during the recent conflict between India and Pakistan. The handle eventually posted an apology and deleted the original post. Even as the allegations snowballed into online outrage against the brand, NBNW founders Mriga Kapadiya and Amrit Kumar, while refusing to comment on the controversy, decided to push their line instead.
'Us just existing and having this platform says something to the people who are scared to work on things they believe in, especially when the industry is constantly saying that this is not going to work… to just continuing to keep our heads down and working in a way we felt was full of integrity without compromising on our style and aesthetic,' says Kapadiya, explaining the spirit of their campaign — 'Not here to play' — which they posted announcing the collaboration.
Featuring sportswear for women in bandhani, the line is as much a champion of women empowerment as it is about Indian craftsmanship. The familiar bandhani patterns, often associated with saris and dupattas, make their way onto edgy sporty silhouettes. The campaign was headlined by Indian women athletes: wrestler Anshu Malik, sprinter Priya Mohan and cricketers Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma.
It took 15 years for NBNW to make a mark, and the road to recognition, as Kapadiya says, was not easy. The label came into being following the founders' trip to Kutch, Gujarat in 2010, where they met the Khatris — a community of artisans dedicated to working with indigenous practices of Kutch: different types of embroidery and of tie-and-dye methods, including bandhani. 'Bandhani was always a personal favorite of ours. Even in Toronto, we would wear bandhani shawls and shirts. We loved the way it looked. So we asked the Khatris a lot of questions, and they were equally fascinated by us… they were curious as to why we even cared,' recalls Kapadiya.
During their week-long stay there, they documented the tie-and-dye process as short videos that they later shared on their blogs and platforms like YouTube and Tumblr.
Neither had a formal fashion background — Kapadiya and Kumar had day jobs at a boutique ad agency and side hustles working at a vintage store and arts festival. But they were interested in India's textile heritage and wanted to make that knowledge accessible. 'We wanted to share the process and have people appreciate that process,' says Kapadiya, adding that they are now working on fresh collaborations rooted in Indian heritage.