The Story of Sustainable Threads

Rooted in Craft, Made for Living

Sustainable Threads creates design-led, artisan-made home textiles intended for everyday use — in kitchens, at tables, and in the spaces where daily life unfolds. Our work brings together traditional textile techniques and contemporary design to create pieces that are functional, versatile, and quietly beautiful.

These are not objects made to be admired from a distance, but textiles designed to be lived with — washed, handled, shared, and returned to day after day.

Craft for Everyday Use

We believe craft belongs in daily life. Our collections are designed for real homes and real use — kitchen towels that work hard, table linens that move easily from weekday meals to gatherings, and pieces that feel as appropriate in a family kitchen as they do on a well-set table. By focusing on function alongside form, we aim to bridge worlds: honoring the depth of traditional craft while designing for modern lifestyles and retail environments.

Working in Partnership

Our collections are developed through long-term partnerships with artisan groups across India. Rather than sourcing finished goods, we work collaboratively with weaving and craft communities to develop textiles that balance traditional techniques with contemporary design. Production is small-batch and thoughtful, allowing artisans to work within the rhythms of their craft while ensuring the consistency retailers and customers rely on. Through ongoing dialogue, sampling, and shared learning, each collection reflects both the knowledge of the makers and the needs of the homes and stores where the textiles will ultimately live.

Design-Led, Artisan-Made

All Sustainable Threads products are developed through close collaboration with artisan partners in India. We work with established textile techniques — such as handweaving, block printing, and resist dyeing — and adapt them thoughtfully through design. The goal is not to replicate the past, nor to aestheticize tradition, but to create textiles that feel relevant, useful, and proudly at home in the spaces where they are sold and used. This approach allows craft to remain active and evolving — shaped by dialogue rather than dictated by nostalgia or trend.

Bringing Makers into the Home — With Care

While our products are made across cultures and geographies, we are mindful of how stories are told. We are not interested in selling a simplified idea of India. Instead, we focus on co-creating textiles that reflect shared intention: respect for skill, attention to detail, and pride in work that serves a purpose. Through thoughtful storytelling — on hangtags, online, and in person — we aim to bring visibility to the people and techniques behind our products, without reducing them to symbols or simplifying complex realities.

Fair Trade, Thoughtfully Practiced

Sustainable Threads is committed to Fair Trade principles and long-term partnerships that support dignified livelihoods, responsible production, and transparency. Rather than treating Fair Trade as a label, we approach it as an ongoing practice — one that requires care, collaboration, and shared responsibility across the supply chain. Learn more about our Fair Trade commitments

Materials That Matter

The foundation of every collection is the material itself. We work primarily with natural fibers such as cotton and linen, chosen for their durability, versatility, and ability to improve with use. These materials are well-suited to the demands of everyday living, softening over time while maintaining their integrity. By starting with honest materials and thoughtful processes, we create textiles that are not only functional, but enduring — designed to be used, washed, and lived with for years to come.

Designed to Be Gifted — and Kept

Our textiles are created with gifting in mind, but longevity at heart. Many of our products are gift-ready — thoughtfully packaged and easy to share — yet designed to remain useful long after the moment of giving. This balance reflects our belief that meaningful gifts should serve a purpose, carry a story, and earn their place in everyday life.

Looking Forward

As Sustainable Threads grows, our focus remains clear: to create functional, well-designed textiles that connect people, craft, and daily living — without spectacle, excess, or overstatement. We see our role as one of care and stewardship: supporting living traditions, designing responsibly, and bringing honest, usable craft into homes and kitchens around the world. Sustainable Threads is guided by its founders, whose long standing commitment to Fair Trade, thoughtful design, and long-term partnerships continues to shape the work.

A Story We Build Together

Our work is made possible through a wider circle of artisans, producer groups, fair trade partners, retailers, and customers. Each retail partnership helps carry handmade traditions forward and supports the long-term relationships behind our collections.

500+ artisans connected through fair trade partnerships

20+ years of relationships rooted in trust and continuity

50+ producer groups and artisan communities represented

1,000+ handmade pieces brought to market through traditional craft

Thank you for being part of this shared story!

Meet the Founders

At the heart of Sustainable Threads are founders whose work is grounded in both craft and community.

Poonam AbbiI

Poonam is a trained social worker with over 22 years of experience in the development sector in India. This includes six years with Seva Mandir, a secular, voluntary organization working in rural and tribal villages in the Udaipur district of Rajasthan.

Through this work, she gained hands-on experience living and working alongside village communities. She continues her association with Seva Mandir as the Executive Director of Friends of Seva Mandir, Inc., a well-wisher network supporting the organization.

Sustainable Threads is a natural extension of her long-standing commitment to social development, including ongoing partnerships with village groups whose products are thoughtfully sourced for the collections.

Harish Hathiramani

Harish has more than 25 years of experience in merchandising and marketing and his previous work assignments took him to various parts of the globe. He has a Master’s degree in Business Administration. For Harish, Sustainable Threads is an avenue to explore ways to apply his experience to make a meaningful difference.