Upcycled Kantha Fashion Brand Namai Studio Moves to Kingston

“The main point of Namai is making people happy through their clothing,” says Bianca Kuttickattu, founder and designer of Kingston-based fashion brand Namai Studio.

Defined by intricate patterns, bright colors, and patchwork designs, Namai’s signature jackets and accessories are created out of vintage Indian kantha quilts. Each piece is reversible, typically featuring a simpler design on one side and a more intricate pattern on the other, so the wearer can pick a style based on their outfit and mood.

Kuttickattu recently moved her brand’s headquarters from her Sullivan County home to Kingston’s Hasbrouck Avenue. Kuttickattu designs her jackets from the new studio, selecting quilts from photographs sent by her suppliers in India and deciding which jacket silhouette each will be made into. Production happens in India.

There are currently four Namai jacket silhouettes: the cropped Kaira jacket, the longline Sai coat, the oversized Ladhiya jacket, and the A-line Ishani jacket. Every jacket is handmade in India, and entirely one-of-a-kind. Many feature embroidered detailing on top of the intricate patterns of the fabrics.

Kuttickattu, who had been collecting kantha quilts for years before launching Namai in 2020, always felt that they are perfectly suited to jackets. The quilts themselves are created from upcycled saris and feature anywhere from three to six layers of fine, recycled cotton. “They have a lot of history woven into them,” Kuttickattu says.

“One complete quilt makes one jacket,” Kuttickattu explains. Any fabric scraps leftover from the jacketsare used to create distinctive accessories such as totes, belt bags, pouches, and dopp kits. The tote bags are particularly popular. “We can’t keep them in stock,” she says. These accessories were not part of her original concept for Namai, but rather a creative, zero-waste solution to use any leftover fabric from jacket production.

“Secondhand and recycling has been part of my design process from day one,” Kuttickattu says. As a student at London College of Fashion and Middlesex University, she spent plenty of time sifting through secondhand clothing shops. “I would rummage through looking for pieces to inspire me. Then I would deconstruct them and make new things out of them. So it’s always been really integral to my design process.”

As a master’s student at the Institut Français de la Mode in Paris, Kuttickattu participated in two internships, both of which were formative to her ethos as a designer. The first was with French luxury fashion brand Maison Margiela, whose couture line was made 100 percent from upcycled clothing. “It was an amazing experience at a fashion house whose creativity is completely rooted in clothing and recycling,” she says. One of the Margiela pieces Kuttickattu helped create was a dress made entirely out of recycled silk sleeves. For the garment, she sourced silk shirts in certain shades of red from vintage stores and then helped knit the sleeves into a dress.

The second internship was with an NGO in Brazil. Kuttickattu designed a collection with women from favelas in sewing cooperatives, incorporating their techniques with sustainable materials such as bamboo and recycled fabrics.

“I always thought back to that experience when I was deep into my career in the fashion industry,” Kuttickattu says. “I was unhappy for many years, and I always went back to how it felt to do that project, to do something that was meaningful. I was tired of the corporate world and commercial products, with such wasteful ways of working. It wasn’t just wasting materials—there were also a lot of products that were being wasted, and a lot of people’s time being wasted. I think that all of those things are equal. There were so many facets to what I was doing that I really disagreed with.”

Kuttickattu considers herself lucky to have been laid off from her corporate job in the fashion industry in May of 2020. She healed her burnout by spending time amid nature in her Catskills home, where she had the idea to start Namai. She found inspiration in the local community, around people who were unafraid to be themselves and live life on their terms. “That’s my biggest inspiration for the jackets—people who are unique and want to express their unique selves with the clothing they wear,” she says.

Namai started with 10 jackets in 2020 and has grown organically and quickly since. After selling in markets around Sullivan County, Kuttickattu expanded to bigger markets such as Field + Supply and started a wholesale business. She launched her e-commerce shop in 2023, which is where she is currently putting her focus.

“E-commerce is a great way to reach a lot of people across the country and internationally,” Kuttickattu says. “That’s why I’m excited to collaborate with locals in Kingston. It’s a way of creating a window into the Namai community for everyone across the country. It’s an interesting creative challenge—constantly coming up with new ways to share our process, who we are, and information about the jackets.”

Kuttickattu is hosting a studio party on April 19 to invite the community into her space, with entertainment by DJ Tikka Masala and food from local Indian grocer and eatery Calcutta Kitchens. She plans to continue hosting community events, such as monthly book clubs and private shopping parties.

For updates and more details, follow Namai Studio on Instagram.