Our Story
Welcome to Kantha Karma, a small, sustainable business with a conscience and a big heart. We believe in the power, and responsibility, of business to do good.
My name is Melissa and my curiosity to know where, how and by whom my textiles were made gave me the purpose to start this little shop.
Kantha Karma is a storytelling of textiles, love for Mother Earth and women empowerment.
We work with carefully chosen women's cooperatives and social enterprises in Bangladesh to handcraft upcycled kantha blankets, which tread lightly on our planet.
As well as promoting handmade and generational skills that our artisans are dependent on, we are dedicated in building mutual beneficial relationships, where our artisans earn fair wages and our customers have the opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind, ethically made, handmade pieces which are kind to our planet.
Each and every purchase helps us to support a healthier planet, environmentally conscious economies in Bangladesh and our artisan’s fair wages.
Thank you for being part of this journey!
Fair Trade and Fairly Paid
As a peoples first business we focus on the well-being of our artisans. We endeavour to empower our artisans by providing them with a fair wage to support themselves and their families.
They are supported by our partners to participate in community projects and undertake training programs including literacy and life skills, provided with access to medical care, counselling and free on-site day care for their children.
Our kantha gives brave women the chance to leave behind past traumas and social stigma and create a brighter future for themselves and their families.
Sustainability
Our Planet comes first in all that we do.
We use upcycled fabrics to produce our vintage kantha. Our textiles require no chemical treatment, less energy, less water, and no pesticides or fertilizers to grow, ensuring that our production is eco-friendly and reducing our carbon imprint.
We are proud to be part of the slow fashion movement; a movement that stands against fast fashion and is defined by the use of eco-conscious materials as well as a slow process taken to design, source, and produce garments. Find out more about our efforts to be sustainable.
THE STORY BEHIND OUR KANTHA
Creating opportunities, keeping traditions alive
What makes our kantha so special? Among some of the answers are, hand-crafted, artisanal, upcycled, organic, chemical and dye free, fair trade, reduced CO2, and sustainable.
