Indigo People was founded when Kiat and Johan encountered artisans struggling to maintain their cultural heritage. It was often the case that mothers and grandmothers lost the ability to pass on the secrets of their craft when children moved to the city to pursue economic opportunities. When they discovered that these skills were about to be lost to the world forever, they started Indigo People to support the talent and skills of traditional craftsmen and share the beauty of their work with the rest of the world.

How it started

Founded on the affection for traditional craftsmanship and the love for natural indigo, Indigo People was established in 2013. Combining contemporary design with authentic techniques, every product is produced in small scale and thus unique. Each product is handcrafted and customised with integrity by a master artisan, who handpicks the base materials and dyes them in indigo. Our aim is not only to create unique products for indigo lovers but also to keep the mastery of the traditional techniques alive by working directly with the traditional weavers and indigo dyers.

How we work

We collaborate with traditional weaver communities in Asian countries where hand looming and indigo dyeing have been practised for generations. Each community has its own specialised technique that has a long tradition. Ikat weaving and batik printing are the most authentic manual techniques that are used by our artisans. These production methods can result in little imperfections that give each product a unique appearance. The main material is based on unbleached and unprocessed cotton. The raw cotton is manually spun, which results in unevenness in the yarns. These little nubs in the weaving yarns give the product a natural and rugged look. When the scarves are worn more often, the cotton fibre will get more flexible and gain softness. In some products, the cotton fibre is combined with silk to increase the wearer’s comfort and to give the product a subtle shine.