NOTES FROM OUR TEAM

LETTERS FROM US

Sibling Story

Sibling Story

At Ka-Sha, we draw a lot of inspiration of people and their stories. Together, our team creates everything you see and know. Work becomes less of a chore and more fun when we bring in the siblings in the mix.   Meet the siblings working at Ka-Sha and making it all happen!  Vakeel Ansari (Head Pattern Cutter) & Asad Ansari (Embroidery Artisan) They are both from Allahabad, UP. With Vakeel Ji being the elder one, he's always been extremely supportive of his younger brother who always had an affinity towards hand-work. They have both been at Ka-Sha since the very early years.  Ridhiema Shahani Mehmi (Production) & Karishma Shahani Khan (Creative Director and Founder) Never having thought that they will be working together, Ridhiema joining the Ka-Sha team recently has been a real game-changer for Karishma; to have a solid support and reliable member in the team. She often feels they make the good cop-bad + cop team. . Hassan Ansari (Maker) & Afsan Ansari (Maker) Afsan, the elder one has been at Ka-Sha since the last 7 years whereas Hassan joined Ka-Sha 4 years back. They both share a typical sibling relationship, of love and hate. . Vaishali Owhal (Quality Check) & Kalpana Padmukh (Maker) Vaishal Tai and Kalpana Tai have been working together since the last year, with Kalpana Tai being new to the team. They are opposites in the sense that Kalpana Tai is the fun sister and Vaishali Tai is the quieter one. They love working together.  . Abdul Ansari (Maker) & Wasiqu Ashraf (Maker) Abdul Ji has been practising tailoring and embroidery since a really young age and has passed down all the learning to his younger brother. Their childhood years were was spent in their Nani's (maternal grandmothers) house and Waqar was the notorious one growing up. . (L-R) Maseehuddin (Embroidery Artisan), Wasikuddin Ashraf (Maker) & Shafuddin Ansari (Maker)  The three brothers hail from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. Maseehuddin Ji is the eldest one and Shafuddin is the youngest. Wasikuddin is the middle brother and also the most mischievous one. Growing up, they all saw their future in the field of hand-work and tailoring and make a solid team. .   Love  Team Ka-Sha

Makers Wall

Makers Wall

Our makers wall is a piece of work that comes together just like the clothing we make - made by many hands, each one with a significant role to play.  It can also be called our 'Happiness Wall' as everyone fills up a blank piece of fabric with anything and everything that brings them joy, makes them think of joy or talks about joy. This brought us such a sense of togetherness as we sat and made and stitched together, every piece as complete as the rest.            The Team | From the right.Pooja Chauhan, Finishing | Vandana Ovhal, Finshing | Nadeem Ashraf, Maker | Nasim Ansari, Maker | Rutuja Ghodke, Finshing | Laxmi Honmane, Finshing | Netra Mundhada, Intern | Karishma Shahani Khan, Creative Director | Ashad Ji, Dyer | Waqar Ansari, Maker | Wasikuddin Ansari, Maker | Maseehuddin Ansari, Artisan | Vakeel Ansari, Head Pattern Cutter | Shafiuddin Ansari, Maker | Arati Hole, Logistics and Studio Manager | Vaishali Ovhal, Quality Check | Zayn Khan | Kalpana, Maker | Kanta Mohite, Finishing | Abdul Mueed, Maker | Zubair Ansari, Artisan | Hassan Ansari, Maker | Afroj, Maker | Mohammad Waqar, Maker | Shahid Ansari, Maker | Rajmohmmad Choudari, Maker | Pirpasha Mujawar, Maker | Mohammad Shavez, Maker | Sarika Waghmode, Finishing | Mushtaq Ashraf, Maker | Aditi Kumari, Design | Mrunmai Nikam, Design | Ridhiema Mehmi, Production | Chaitrali Mohite, Admin and Accounts |  

My Week in 7 Pictures

My Week in 7 Pictures

With work from home or WFH (as the cool kids call it!) becoming synonymous to how we function lately, it is almost surreal to be back at work full-time given the current situation of the world. However, at Ka-Sha, we have always been about adapting to change, evolving and afoot in the unknown; whether it is about the way we thrive or reflect.  My days begin with a 40-minute drive to work and opening my inbox the first thing. Making sure we respond to every one who reaches out and making every digital platform look good (and also my desk), most of my time is spent getting orders fulfilled, managing inventory offline & online and getting our purpose across. We find our balance between the serious and non-serious; our small team giving their all while never missing out on laughter.    The nonchalant and quaint surroundings of our studio in Pune, they make work seem as breezy as they are. (In the picture: Koregaon Park)    Glimpse into our Summer collection – one that came to life with a lot of uncertainty but eventually into its own evoking joy with its colors alone.   With our ethos centered around our makers and our processes, every Ka-Sha garment leaves with a tag handwritten by me, making sure that our customer knows everything that went into making that beautiful piece(s) for them.   The ones that make the days fun, the ones who uplift my mood and listen to the most mundane details of my life and yet always lend an ear. #bestteam (Photo taken at a Saturday lunch - with Srishti (left) & Madhuri (right))   Nothing says “this has been made with love and we want to really know you and you us” more than a hand-written note – me making sure all our packages leave with one.   Women at work, winning at everything they do because there is nothing they can't do. "The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world."- Charles Malik (Durga Tai (left) and Pooja Didi (right) as seen in the photo) The sweetest special appearance of the week :) (Vakil Ji (Masterji) with Azaan and Mrs. Ansari as seen in the photo)   -Written by Shweta Issrani (Merchandising and Communications Manager)

The Best Fifteen Weeks

The Best Fifteen Weeks

Every morning for 15 weeks I have gotten up with an aim of getting closer to accomplish my given agenda of having a collection for my Graduation Project. But little did I know there was so much more to learn than just sticking to the to-do-list of your diary. From the smallest things like simply reaching office on time to assisting with production, I have grown as a budding designer. Getting out of my comfort zone and trying to be my most efficient self is the one thing I will maintain my whole life to be a better designer and a better artist.  These are some of my favorite times from my 15 weeks of interning at Ka-Sha.   The one with office on the hills As amazing as it is to work on a collection, it is even more exciting to look at it come together beautifully! Luckily, I got to assist the shoot for Ka-Sha's Spring/Summer '21 collection and it was one of the most fascinating shoots I have been a part of.       The one who turned from colleague to friend Having a work friend has so many perks, especially when after a hard long day you can sit with your friend talking about anything and everything and laugh it out on a stressful day.       The one with ‘super women' Meeting ‘the makers’ of Together-Ek Saath foundation, was indeed a special day. The inclination of these women to learn and empower themselves through work was very inspiring for me.      The one with ‘to dye or die' My time with our local dyers made me realize the significance of details in every single piece made - from getting the right shade of color, to the buttons and to the size. Production in itself includes so many things and it is as fun as it is challenging.       The one with the ‘college tea' To my surprise, my college senior works as the assistant designer at Ka-Sha. We spent time talking about career paths, about series worth binge watching and about life in college. It was always so much fun and used to make me happy and reminisce those days.     The one with TAIs The ladies at the studio (Sarika Tai and Vaishali Tai) were my constant source of laughs while we worked together. During our lunch together was where we where we exchanged so much and learned from each other.      Written By : Lovely Sharma (Intern from NIFT Kolkata)

My Internship Days..

My Internship Days..

Our studio is amidst the still lushness of Koregoan park. The calmness that surrounds it is an added source of motivation. I am currently interning here, my sixth month of working here and it has been nothing short of the most exhilarating work experience till date. Like most internships, the work hours are limited but the opportunities and learning are tremendous. My work here includes a bit of everything -  sampling, production, merchandising, product photography and much more. In these uncertain times, I feel more than happy to be a part of the committed team at Ka-Sha. I truly enjoy my interactions with the team, our dyers, our makers and even the  shopkeepers, they are all an integral part of my days here. They bring immense value to the process and execution. The amazing women helpers here, Sarika Tai and Vaishali Tai have become like an extended family and even try to feed me every chance they get.   Exterior of our studio The weather changes from a beautiful sunny mornings to the pouring evenings instantly. It is the perfect example of the unsettled times we are in right now. The things constant here are the people and their evening chai breaks, which remain unchanged and bring a sense of normalcy.   A picture from our dyers studio Apart from the work at our studio, I also travel to our dyers establishments / karkhaanas to get pieces dyed. I am grateful for the artisans like them, helping me gain unparalleled knowledge about their processes in person.   Our makers at work  The picture above signifies the collaboration and synergy at Ka-Sha for me. -  Written By Manasi Tarwade (Intern from NIFT, Gandhinagar)

Sneak Peek : My Everyday at Ka-Sha

Sneak Peek : My Everyday at Ka-Sha

Working at Ka Sha is like living in a dream. Oftentimes I look at the studio, the work I do and I pinch myself - absolutely surreal. Hence, I will be always grateful for the opportunity to be here. Moving on, my day starts with me combing through my diary - where I write down things I need to complete for that day. Everyday is unique in its own way, bringing its own unique set of challenges. Sometimes we need to make samples for the client according to their brief. At times, I'll coordinate or source from the vendors for different materials or execute specific requirements by the client. We do all this while interacting with the client, answering their queries. Amidst the chaos of juggling between numerous projects, my work as a design assistant mainly goes around working on collections that we showcase twice each year. We discuss, express our emotions, thoughts and literally everything else under the roof with our founder and believer-in-chief Karishma. We keep building on things we find inspiring - capturing them in our storyboards. We then start creating embroidery samples; exploring different techniques on dyeing along the way. Parallelly we experiment with different silhouettes, each one of them filled with the thoughts and feelings that we want conveyed. We keep researching, learning new stories and adding them to our collection for the season. We talk, we brainstorm and while doing so - we learn from each other, make our stories and tell them through our work. Here’s a little glimpse into my week through my lens…..     - Written By Srishti Deb (Assistant Designer)

Ka-Sha x Lithra B Perfumery

Ka-Sha x Lithra B Perfumery

As we leave most unsaid and accept people as they are we see beauty manifest around us in more ways than one. Taking experiences as they intersect and collide to forge new paths we allow for change, accepting it and seeking comfort in our evolution. Hand painted, resist dyed and embroidered our spring summer collection marries sunflower yellows with blues, blacks with white, multiple hues with monotones and opacity with sheerness. Linens and Cottons are layered with flowering seams, scalloped edges, stark stripes and fields of blooms for our SS’20 collection, Bahaar.   Engaging and meaningful associations with creatives from all walks of life is not just uplifting, but the way forward for innovation and new stories. To bring the essence of our collection to life, we collaborated with Bharti Lalwani of Litrahb Perfumery to create a unique sensory experience, that gives our products more than just one strong tangible form. The idea was also to connect with a diverse local brand, that stands for values we strongly believe in.  Litrahb Perfumery is an ethical perfumery practice. Art Critic turned perfumer Bharti Lalwani sources the best quality of botanical extracts from across the globe. She keeps her bespoke scent service package-free, plastic-free and cruelty-free. She works with environmental researchers and eco-conscious distillers to develop the most unusual fragrances and 'Edible Perfume' experiences. About her shift from being an art critic to a perfumer she says, "I’ve been an art critic since 2009 – I predominantly wrote about how artists in Southeast Asia used art as a medium to critique authoritarianism and its passive public. Still very much a critic, I now use scent as a language to communicate ideas and concepts. It’s like learning, translating and deploying a new language that can be universally embraced without barriers." When asked about the attributes that add perfection to a perfume, Bharti said, smell and fragrance are something very intimate, that she cannot imagine buying something off a counter anymore. She believes that perfume notes should speak to oneself and to their context. She recalls, "This is why the first two perfumes I created were Green Chutney and Mango Murbo – savoury and sweet notes from a Sindhi Kitchen." One of her first projects was commissioned by Delhi-based artist, Ranbir Kaleka. He had this long held wish of creating the smell of the home and village he grew up in. This was 1950s post partition Punjab and the context was specific. "Over three months, we had a number of phone-conversations. He gave me smell-reference points: a carpenter shaving wood, rain, buffaloes, cattle, rot, decay, bricks and deteriorating interiors of his old haveli. By the third sample, he felt it was just right. The joy that this brought him couldn’t be quantified and I thought it magical that something so personal, so intangible yet so specific could be made in a form that could held close and be worn on one’s body!", says the Critic. The boundless potential for discovering new notes and becoming familiar with materials from all across the world is one of her greatest joys as a perfumer. She has found deep connections with independent perfumers, scientists and creative practitioners through this medium.    In her words, she describes how she approached this collaboration between Ka-Sha and Litrahb Perfumery. "I chose to reflect the delicate nature of the work involved in creating their new collection: An exceptional level of artistry goes on each and every outfit – cotton fabric is stitched into flowers that are individually sewn onto each garment while certain sections are hand painted to create lush garden tableaux. The bespoke blend created for Ka-Sha's SS'20 collection has prominent notes of lemon and pomegranate that diffuse into a symphony of powdery rose, gardenia and jasmine flowers. Soap is a diffusive medium for fragrance. I love the idea that every garment purchased is wrapped over the soap, which perfumes it until it reaches its destination. The soap can then be kept in one’s wardrobe, at the bottom of their laundry basket or used. Each method allows Ka-Sha’s patrons to experience their bespoke garment beyond its visual splendor, the fragrance lingering on one’s skin like warm sunshine!" As for the future of her perfumery practice, she says, "I consider myself an artist, a critic and an inventor. I’m creating products for myself and other brands that ultimately do not burden the planet. No part of my product should end up in a landfill and I’ve said ‘no’ to so many brands that would have involved wasteful design elements. Currently I’m developing a number of ideas such as a dissolvable box, an Edible Perfume multi-sensory experience that lends the idea of eating and smelling ‘Mitti’ or Petrichor, I’m developing an artistic ‘Lotion block’ that is package free and lasts upto a year so that one need not buy plastic bottles of moisturizer. Additionally, for my online journal, I’m interviewing some of the most interesting people from different fields: Mycologists, sandalwood traders, Mughal era flora experts, and so on." All orders placed with us for our SS'20 collection will have Litrahb Perfumery soaps as a complimentary addition to your shopping. Please visit www.litrahbperfumery.com for more about her work.  Instagram: @Litrahbperfumery

Letter Two

Letter Two

Dear Reader, We hope you and people around you are safe and well. Thank you so much for your continued support in these uncertain times. It has been testing and continues to be so for all of us. We know we are in this together, and together we shall hopefully move forward. Yet as you continue to shop with us and/or support our work we appreciate the understanding you have shown. Please find below some key bits of information with regards to our studio and working conditions in our hometown in Pune, India. Our Studio Our Studio is scheduled to open with only 20% of our team in the coming days. Ofcourse we are following the necessary safety precautions and working within the framework provided by the authorities and government. This framework does imply working only on certain days of the week and for certain hours each day.  Our Team Our team is safe. Everyone is at home with their family and/or friends. Some are in Pune while some have gone back to their hometowns. We will start working with those who are able to access the studio in the coming days.  Our Endeavour As a group, people have always been the cornerstone for everything we do. We have been using the last 2 months to find solutions of how to reach out to more people not solely as a business but also in ways where we support one another and learn from each other. Our collaboration with Fashion Open Studio during Fashion Revolution Week last month saw us host a week long session of interactions between our artisans and you'll, where they led and demonstrated different techniques that make up the body of our work. We have partnered with 'Lets Give 4 Love' x Oxfam India to support their initiative of raising funds to help and support those who are in need. We are also at the onset of launching a Sale Event on our Online Store tonight i.e. 13th May 2020 through which we will use a percentage of the profits to support the work of the women at Quilt Culture in Pune, a women led organisation that we work with and who specialise in create traditional 'godhadis' - Quilts. We are pumped and we are anxious at the same time, hoping that we can ride this wave of uncertainty together.  New-ness on our Webshop​ We now have a brand new addition to our web shop - 'Ready-To-Ship'! This section shows you the products we have in stock and ready to ship to you in a period of 48-72 hours after we receive your order. This is exciting as we usually make all pieces to order but we do have some favourites and other styles that range across our collections over the years. This section will keep being updated so it you never know what your find in it :) Do have a look at what you can access quicker than our usual 'Made-To-Order' Timelines.  Delivery Time on your Purchases during this time While shopping on our Web Shop you will find two categories of products: Ready to Ship & Made to Order. The ones that are under our 'Ready-To-Ship' tab will be dispatched them from our studio within 48-72 hours once Courier Services are functional for Domestic & International destinations from our location in Pune, India. These products range across our collections and our size chart. For products that are 'Made to Order' under our Collection Tab will be dispatched after they are made for you from our studio within 21-30 Days from the date you place your order, unless mentioned otherwise.  Kindly note this extension on Made-To-Order pieces from our previous delivery timelines is a result of being unable to produce for the last 60 Days and we appreciate your understanding in this matter. Please write to us on info@ka-shaindia.in or contact us on 0091-9881168999 for any assistance.​ Love, Ka-Sha Last Update : 13th May 2020

Letter One

Letter One

Letter One.

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