Desi Oon Hub

The remote Miyar valley, lying at an altitude of over 3000 metres, is a part of the Lahaul Range in Himachal. It sits between the Pir Panjal and the Zanskar range and winter snow often cuts electricity and phones for months at a time. The women of Miyar are tough and adept at responding to challenges. Miyar Mufflers is a young initiative that engages with the Mahila Mandal of Miyar, and encourages community entrepreneurship and traditional crafts. All Miyar Mufflers are handspun and handknitted with wool from the knitter’s sheep.

Based in North Karnataka, Dakhni Diaries promotes craft-based, sustainable livelihood projects for women who had previously depended on seasonal wage-based labour and migration to cities for work. The women have revived and mastered many of North Karnataka's craft traditions and techniques such as indigo dyeing of the Neelgars, folk stitch and joinery of the Nadafs, felting, spinning and the Kambal weaving techniques of the sheep herding communities.

Kullvi Whims stands for Women of Himachal Self-help group, from Kullu Valley. The 'Whims' in the name also refers to the joy women take in weaving or knitting each piece by adding little touches to the motifs and patterns! . The women are all traditional artisans, who had learnt their craft practices of spinning, weaving, knitting and crocheting from their family members and have mostly practised their crafts for themselves; weaving Pattus and blankets or knitting sweaters, mojiris and socks.

Earthen Tunes was founded by a band of three young designers. They started their journey to produce affordable footwear for farmers. To solve this, the trio explored 18 different natural materials and made 70 different shoe prototypes using those materials. Wool topped their tests, primarily due to thermoregulation, easy availability, and the ease of production. A lot of experimentation has led to their range of YAAR shoes, sold mainly to practising farmers. These rough and tough shoes are perfect for use in rural India and can last for over a year with the roughest of use. They can be used without socks in all seasons, all terrain, and in and out of the field. Since urban folk like ourselves, did not qualify to buy these shoes, Earthen Tunes has developed a range of premium shoes for an urban eco friendly lifestyle.

Shepherds of Himalayas (SoH) is an independent project that aims to explore and document the traditional as well as ecological knowledge of shepherding and other pastoralist communities in Indian Himalayas as they spend nomadic / semi-nomadic existence in search of better pasture for their herd.

Avani, nestled in the Kumaon region of  Uttarakhand, is a community built on the principles of sustainability and local empowerment. Fusing traditional techniques with sustainable technologies, Avani's talented farmers and artisans produce exquisite, one-of-a-kind textiles and lifestyle products using 100% natural materials, including plant-derived dyes, sustainably harvested indigo, and locally-produced silk and wool.

Urmul is one of the best known civil society initiatives in India. For twenty- eight years, Urmul has been innovating approaches for inducing community driven development by devising and sustaining programmes in the harsh and inhospitable Thar desert. In its initial days, Urmul worked with sheep herders - on animal health, wool grading, and spinning -till the focus briefly shifted to cotton and is now back to working with wool.

Khamir, a platform for the crafts, heritage and cultural ecology of the Kachchh region of Gujarat, is well known for its focus on the ecology of craft material, such as dryland Kala cotton. Khamir has been working to revive the Patanwadi sheep wool and wool artisans of Kachchh to revive the local wool economy for five years now.

Peoli is a design studio based in Almora located at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of the Himalayan Range in Uttarakhand.. It is an initiative that works with the Harsil wool of Almora to develop a range of handmade products using wool, cotton, hemp, nettle and other natural fibres and natural dyes.

Rangsutra is a company owned by a community of over two thousand artisans across rural India. They act as a bridge between rural artisans and global consumers while developing sustainable livelihoods and retaining India’s rich craft heritage.

Cotton Rack is a 9 year old woman led, institutionally funded business from India which focuses on minimal eco-friendly and ethical practices to create minimal designs in hand spun natural textiles. Cotton Rack, also, actively works in social impact sector towards sustainable development in fashion and textiles in collaboration with various governmental and non-governmental institutions.

Norbu aspires to support culture preservation, awareness and continuation of dying crafts in North East India by diversifying indigenous crafts. It came into being as an archival project that soon expanded its scope to conservation and climate action. Currently, the initiative is primarily based in Arunachal and focuses on trying to develop livelihoods based on Yak Hair, a raw material that does not find many uses anymore.

Looms of Ladakh is a women’s cooperative which aims to bring together unemployed women artisans from remote villages of Ladakh. The women are trained by designers to produce trend setting knitted and woven products. The raw materials are sourced locally from nomads and frontier livestock rearing communities of Ladakh.

Nestled in the heart of the Thar Desert, Magra represents the convergence of Nature, Innovation, and Resilience. Committed to sustainability, we’ve partnered with local pastoral communities, artisans, and non-profits, forming a holistic support system. This collaboration organizes a nomadic value chain, enabling the significant harnessing of regenerative pastoral fibers for a unique line of sustainable thermal and acoustic solutions tailored for the built industry. Magra embodies the natural fibers of the vast Thar Desert, deriving exceptional qualities from the unique ecosystem, ensuring resilience in challenging climates and forming the fundamental basis of modern sustainability.

Useless. Usefull. Usewaste.

We live in a fast-moving world and need better solutions to tackle waste problems. With an increasing population, our need for agriculture and other resources has also increased. This further leads to agro-waste and post-consumption waste like packaging. Go Do Good is a research-led design lab developing and manufacturing waste-to-value materials & sustainable packaging. They innovate with nature to make home compostable packaging solutions (often from waste resources!).

Ghongadi.com celebrates the timeless craft of traditional sheep wool blanket weaving from the Deccan plateau of India. The name comes from “Ghongadi”, a handwoven woolen blanket that has been part of rural life for centuries - used for warmth, meditation, travel, and spiritual rituals. Working with skilled weaver families who have carried this tradition for generations, each blanket is hand-spun and woven from indigenous Deccan sheep wool on wooden looms, reflecting both the strength of the land and the softness of its heritage. As a CSWRI partner and incubated social enterprise, Ghongadi.com is committed to reviving India’s wool culture through research, design, and sustainable innovation. The brand stands for preserving heritage, empowering artisans, and reviving India’s wool culture through design, research, and innovation. Every Ghongadi tells a story - of the weaver’s rhythm, the sheep’s journey, and the land’s enduring wisdom.

Kambl is derived from the regional word kambal or kambli, used across India for the traditional handwoven woollen blanket or shawl. The gongadi is one such variety, woven from the wool of the native Deccani black sheep, by members of the pastoral Kuruma community spread across the Deccan region. For generations, the Deccani pastoralists have lived in deep connection with the rhythms of nature, interweaving their lives with the wisdom of the land and creating organic, regenerative systems of living. These traditional artisans have inherited the skills of shearing, spinning, weaving, and have been creating blankets for both livelihood as well as an expression of their cultural identity. Kambl works with the weavers of the pastoral Kuruma community to transform the handwoven kambli into seasonal outerwear and craft, that carries forward the warmth, resilience, and enduring spirit of the Deccan’s pastoral heritage.

Vankar Vishram Valji represents a lineage of master weavers from Bhujodi, Kutch, whose craft has been passed down through generations. The family, led by Vishram Valji and his son Shamji, continues to weave wool and cotton textiles using traditional looms, motifs, and natural dyes that reflect the pastoral life and landscapes of Kutch. Each piece — be it a shawl, stole, or textile — is handwoven with care, carrying forward the region’s weaving heritage while adapting to contemporary designs. The studio works closely with local artisan families, ensuring that the rhythm of the loom continues to sustain both the craft and the community behind it.

La is a Indian Himalayan entreprise which uses product innovation, seamlessly weaving together design, ecology, and economy to create a model for a resilient mountain future. Rooted in the philosophy of cultural and ecological responsibility, La’s work spans across apparel, natural fibres, crafts, and sustainable hospitality — building scalable systems that empower local communities while preserving traditional knowledge. Central to its mission is the revival of indigenous sheep breeds in Sikkim, particularly the Banpala and Tibetan sheep, whose wool forms the foundation for regionally rooted, high-value desi oon products. Through this initiative, La is not only revitalizing local craft and pastoral heritage but also setting a new benchmark for mountain-centric innovation and sustainable enterprise in the Indian Himalayas.

Bandipora Weavers Producer Company, established in July 2021, is a result of the Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project, funded by the World Bank. The company aims to generate sustainable livelihoods for artisans affected by the 2014 floods in Jammu and Kashmir. With support from the J&K Government and Rangsutra Crafts India Limited, the company has strong market linkages and infrastructure. Through training programs, artisans have developed their skills, leading to the formation of a producer collective. The company, with over 600 skilled artisans, focuses on Tweed and Kani shawl weaving in Bandipora district. Despite challenges like political uncertainty and the Covid-19 pandemic, the company envisions becoming a vital support for artisans.

Bakarwal (by Inhab Web Services) primarily consists of artisans, most of whom are shepherds of the Bakarwal Community of Bandipora region of Kashmir, India, specializing in creating handcrafted woolen and Pashmina products using the Desi wool sheared from the sheep and the fine underfurs collected from Ladakhi Pashmina goats (Capra Hircus), also known as Changthangi goats.
Bakarwal is also one of the only few organizations in the region working at the grassroots level with shepherds and other stakeholders to establish a system for tracing the origins of wool and reviving Kashmir’s wool sector.

Anchoring the Desi Oon Initiative, CfP has been working to develop and disseminate a nuanced understanding of sheep pastoralism as well as the wool economy; and work with craft, natural building and educational organisations to explore ways to develop livelihoods based on indigenous wool.