We are thrilled to announce that our founder, Ramesh Menon, has been honoured in The Vogue Business 100 #VB100 Innovators list. This prestigious recognition celebrates individuals who are driving transformative change within the fashion and beauty industries.
Ramesh’s inclusion is a testament to his unwavering commitment to elevating India’s handmade sector to new heights of luxury, while forging innovative pathways to honor both artisans and their crafts.
As Save The Loom marks its sixth anniversary this month, we are deeply grateful for this acknowledgment from Vogue Business. It strengthens our resolve to continue our mission of restoring and revitalizing India’s rich handloom heritage.
Thank you to everyone who have been a part of this incredible journey. Here’s to many more years of innovation, progress, and impact.
@voguebusiness
#savetheloom #voguebusiness #changemakers #vb100
Vogue Business and its worldwide editors lists @onezeroeight.stl amongst the best in the world. The special edition on ‘The Future of Shopping’ puts the spotlight on our concept design space in Kochi as the only from India in its feature on ‘The world’s most innovative retailers’ in a list that has stores from US, UK, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan and Italy.
It reiterates our beliefs and vision to create a fine space for Handmade in India and showcase it to global travellers and the world. For a bootstrapped social impact organisation, the core of our work continues at the grassroot and One Zero Eight enables us to bridge the gap between creators and makers, artisans and designers and celebrate each story with great pride. Any wonder, we call it #storeofstories
One Zero Eight is much more than retail - an experience centre - it aims to create, curate, collaborate and celebrate the beauty of handmade.
In a short span, the space has had some amazing patrons from across the globe visit us, champion our work, and spread the word. We are thankful and in gratitude to each one of them for their valuable time, effort, interest and in encouraging us to continue this journey.
One Zero Eight is a humble realization of vision, ideas, concepts, and coming together of many hands. We thank each one of them.
Agraint el suport i les Imatges cedides tant per @savetheloom_or i @onezeroeight.stl com per Kochi Muziris Biennale, preservarem el record de la primera sessió per a les sinergies experimentals, que tot just ha obert la porta.
Rima Kallingal and the team from Mamangam Dance Company, along with Ramesh Menon of Save the Loom, shared insights from their interaction with the Chendamangalam handloom community and how it shaped the performance “Neythe”.
They shared with the participants how the handloom society in Chenamangalam was devastatingly hit by the 2018 floods and how the performance was conceived to shed light on the rich culture of handloom. The work draws inspiration from the detailed stages of fabric-making—soaking, stamping, boiling, dyeing, starching, drying, and weaving—highlighting both the intense labor and artistry involved. The repetitive rhythms of these processes were translated into movement and sound, with live recordings incorporated into the performance. The artists move through shifting states: embodying the mechanical loom, depicting the weavers in moments of labor and rest, and becoming the instruments of handloom.The session included screenings of NFTs filmed at weaving locations, followed by a Q&A.
Scenes from “The Living Blue: An Indigo Dyeing Experience” Facilitated by Hizqeel Mohamed
This hands-on workshop introduced participants to the timeless craft of dyeing with indigo, one of the oldest and most celebrated natural dyes in textile history, covering the fundamentals of developing a 100% organic indigo vat.
About the facilitator:
Hizqeel MM is the founder and creative director of Bakr Society, a Fort Kochi–based textile studio rooted in traditional natural dyeing practices. His work blends age-old craft processes with contemporary design, using techniques such as rice-paste resist, iron-rust fermentation, honey-indigo vats, and Kalamkari-inspired hand-painting. Each piece is developed with a deep respect for craft, slow processes, and natural materials. His workshops and learning programs in association with Save The Loom focuses on sharing this traditional knowledge with participants through hands-on, process-driven learning.
In kind support, Knowledge Sharing: Save The Loom
Scenes from Botanical Impressions: The Art of Eco Printing Facilitated by Mounica Chitturi
This immersive 2-day eco printing workshop introduced the alchemy of plant-based dyeing where participants learned how to prepare fabric, craft meaningful compositions, and understand the delicate finishing techniques that preserve the ephemeral beauty of natural pigments.
About the Facilitator:
Mounica Chitturi is a natural dyer and founder of Unborn Studio, a sustainable clothing brand dedicated to plant-based dyes, eco printing, and mindful textile practices. Her work investigates the interplay between fabric and nature, transforming flowers, roots, leaves, and minerals into organic, poetic color palettes. Through her practice and workshops, Mounica seeks to revive traditional dyeing techniques, foster a deeper connection with natural processes, and inspire participants to see beauty in the unpredictable, ephemeral patterns of nature. Her recent work includes a co-development with Save The Loom in creating a range of textiles and sarees with natural elements from Kerala, including Lilies of Malarikkal.
Glimpses from Neythu Kala: Tapestry Weaving Workshop Facilitated by Geethika Pramod
In a time of rapid consumption and digital production, a slow, hands-on craft like weaving reconnects us to process, labor, and the tactile understanding of how textiles come into being. This full-day immersive workshop introduced the foundations of tapestry weaving, moving from individual exploration to shared creation.
About the facilitator:
Geethika Pramod is a textile designer at Save The Loom, working closely with artisans, weaving clusters, and partner organizations to develop contemporary woven narratives rooted in tradition. She leads the Experiences division at Save The Loom, curating learning programs, craft trails, and hands-on workshops that connect people more deeply to textiles and handmade practices. A graduate in Industrial Arts and Design Practices from Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Geethika has spearheaded initiatives ranging from designing a textile line for women lawyers in India to introductory weaving programs combining craft, design and social engagement.
Glimpses from Shaping Matter : Sculpting Memory through Found Objects facilitated by Abijith E A.
This hands-on workshop introduced participants to the process of mold making and casting using Plaster of Paris. Participants created simple molds using everyday objects and cast their own sculptural piece from it. The workshop offered a foundational understanding of mold making and casting techniques.
About the Facilitator:
Abijith E A is a multidisciplinary artist based in Kochi, Kerala. His practice spans various mediums, including sculpture, painting, and kinetic art. Abijith earned his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from RLV College of Fine Arts. His work is deeply rooted in examining the complexities of the human condition, exploring themes across physical, psychological, and socio-political spectrums.
His notable career highlights include participation in the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2018-19 - Students Biennale section and receiving recognition from the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi. His art has been featured in several exhibitions across the region.
In kind support, Knowledge Sharing: Save the Loom @savetheloom_org
Perfume as an Art Tool - Exploring scent as structure, memory, and artistic expression
Facilitated by Esperança Cases Prats
Rooted in the artistic and cultural context, this workshop invites participants into an immersive exploration of perfume as a medium of artistic expression. Beginning with a sensory and visual introduction to the history of perfumery—tracing its deep connections to Asia, particularly India—the session unfolds into an experiential understanding of how a perfume is structured, read, and composed. Participants will engage with the materials, processes, and dynamics that shape scent, learning to perceive perfume as both language and form.
Drawing from Soft Land Soul, a perfume inspired by the resilience and rhythms of the weaving tradition in Kerala, the workshop explores parallels between weaving and scent-making—threads and notes, patterns and accords, structure and flow.
The session culminates in an experimental engagement with “perfume as an art tool”, where participants interact with selected accords that form the soul of the fragrance, opening pathways to create, interpret, and experience scent as an artistic practice.
This Masterclass and workshop functions as a hybrid learning space—part presentation, part demonstration, and part hands-on exploration—offering a unique encounter with perfume beyond its conventional boundaries.
📅 Date: 28th March 2026
⏰ Time: 3 PM - 5:30 PM
📍Venue: ABC Art Room, Bastion Bungalow, Fort Kochi
Free entry — no registration fee required.
Who can apply: Open to all those who are interested.
🔗Apply via link in bio.
#ABCArtRoom #ArtRoom #KochiMuzirisBiennale #KochiBiennaleFoundation
At the Biennale, time doesn’t move in a straight line. It lingers, folds, overlaps.
Neythe - Dance of the Weaves, found its place in that in-between, where stories aren’t told, but slowly revealed. Between bodies, between silences, between the scene and the remembered.
Not just a performance, but an experience that stayed a little longer than it should.
#neythe #kochibiennale #mamangam #mamangamdancecompany
Scenes from Craft of Unmaking: Reimagining Old Clothes Through Slow Craft and Repurposing, facilitated by Meghna Menon.
The workshop explored how processes of making and unmaking can deepen our appreciation of materials, while reflecting on how shifts in emotion and behaviour shape our relationship with clothing. Participants were encouraged to see discarded garments not as waste, but as resources, transforming old fabrics into vessels, coasters, and other handcrafted artifacts.
In-kind support and knowledge sharing by Save the Loom.
About the Facilitator:
Meghna is a textile-based artist who works with post-consumer waste textiles as materials. She questions the lifecycle and value of the materials through the process of making and un-making. Her work revolves around cherishing discarded garments and recognizing them as materials to make with. A constant rise in consumption has led to a lower valuation of ‘fast fashion’. This low value is not only financial but also emotional. Her work aims to redevelop this emotional connection through making practices. The greatest strength of amateur making is that it brings communities of interest together, thoughtfully yet instinctively, through a shared love of ‘making’ and in the context of everyday life.
Botanical Impressions: The Art of Eco Printing
Facilitated by Mounica Chitturi
Step into a world where leaves, petals, and seeds speak in color, and fabric becomes a canvas for nature’s quiet poetry. In this immersive eco printing workshop, every bundle of cloth is a living experiment, where plant materials release their hidden pigments in slow, transformative rhythms. The act of folding, bundling, and steaming fabric becomes a meditative process—a dance between hand, leaf, and fiber—where chance and intention meet to create unique, vibrant impressions.
Participants will explore the alchemy of plant-based dyeing, learning how to prepare fabric, craft meaningful compositions, and understand the delicate finishing techniques that preserve the ephemeral beauty of natural pigments. The workshop is not just about making art—it is an invitation to observe, to wait, and to witness the subtle transformations that happen when nature interacts with material. Every imprint, every shade, tells a story of texture, life, and serendipity.
By the end of the day, participants will have experienced the slow, poetic rhythm of making, where simple elements from the natural world are transformed into tactile, visual expressions of creativity. Each piece becomes a reflection of a moment in time, an intimate conversation between hand, leaf, and cloth—a celebration of nature’s palette and the joy of discovery.
📅 Date: 21st - 22nd March 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00 AM - 5 PM
📍Venue: ABC Art Room, Bastion Bungalow, Fort Kochi
Free entry — no registration fee required.
Who can apply: Open to all.
🔗 Apply via link in bio.
#ABCArtRoom #ArtRoom #KochiMuzirisBiennale #KochiBiennaleFoundation
