Kalamkari is a type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile that uses eco-friendly, natural dye. It is the answer to reimagine fashion without affecting our environment. Pedana town and its neighboring villages of Machilipatnam, Polavaram and Kappaladoddi in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, India won the geographical indication (GI) tag for the production of Machilipatnam Kalamkari, which involves carving out intricate designs on wooden blocks, and using these to print patterns on fabric. This ancient art form of Kalamkari is dying and so are the livelihoods of over 12,000 families of skilled artisans.
1M1B is providing market connections to Kalamkari artisans in the town of Pedna and promoting them to get orders. This is supporting the artisans to sustain a respectable livelihood.