Creating with craft clusters
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To create these knit pieces, the samples are brought to craft clusters across the country: groups of, often women, outside of major urban centers who posses a deep, technical knowledge of knitting. On this production system, Anand elaborates, ‘in a village you have maybe five, ten women who are knitting. Then a little bit away, there’ll be another tiny village and there’s another five, ten women who are knitting. So there’s usually a bit of a hierarchy. Then there’ll be a master knitter who will call these women to a more central area to give them the work. Then they’ll complete it and send it back.’
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Taarini Anand FW25/26. Photography by Siddhesh Pandey.
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Taarini Anand works with groups located in Uttarakhand and Punjab (Northern India) and across Bandra, Dharavi, and Kalbadevi (Mumbai). On the history of this practice, Anand shares that ‘hand knitting is a very functional, homely practice. It was done by mostly women and girls because they live in a cold place and need more layers. Even now, if you go to remote areas within the hills, you will find these ladies hand spinning their yarn with the wool directly from the sheep they herd themselves and spin on their own.’
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Taarini Anand FW25/26. Photography by Siddhesh Pandey.
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This female-centric practice is near to the designer’s heart, especially given she inherted this craft through the matriarchal side of her family. The way the garment is produced is evident not just in the weaves, but in the way she presents the collection. ‘We had a show earlier this year. For the start of it I had my grandmom knitting on the runway as the models were walking because that’s how it started for me.’ She adds that before the show, she had played the chattering, gossiping, and lively voices of the ladies that come together to produce the garments themselves. ‘It was just very nice to have some aspects of all the people who contribute to the actual piece be present there and at the same time.’
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Taarini Anand FW 26/27. Photography by Pranjal Asha.
Taarini Anand FW 26/27. Photography by Pranjal Asha.
Taarini Anand FW 26/27. Photography by Pranjal Asha.
Taarini Anand FW 26/27. Photography by Pranjal Asha.
Taarini Anand FW 26/27. Photography by Pranjal Asha.
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Taarini Anand FW25/26. Photography by Siddhesh Pandey.
project info:
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designer:Â Taarini Anand
brand:Â Taarini Anand
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annalise kamegawa
I designboom
jun 13, 2026
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