I studied visual arts. I spent years as a photographer. But the things that always pulled at me the most were the things made by hand.

There is something about a handmade textile that no photograph has ever fully captured for me. The weight of it. The slight irregularity in a printed repeat that tells you a human being stood at that table and pressed that block. I have been drawn to that kind of making for as long as I can remember.

In late 2021, my husband brought home a block-printed cotton saree from Bagru. I had worn sarees my whole life but this one was different. It was so light it felt like nothing. The print was quiet and confident at the same time. I wore it and did not want to take it off.

That saree became the beginning of Moora.

I started walking into workshops in Bagru, a small town about 35 kilometres from Jaipur where families have been printing fabric for over 450 years. I sat with artisans and watched how they worked. I learned which blocks produced which results. I understood what natural dyes could and could not do.

We launched as a direct-to-consumer saree brand in May 2022. By 2024, that number had grown to 15,000 customers across more than 10 countries. So we built Studio Moora as that partner. The foundation has never changed. It is the artisans. It is the craft.

This is still a journey. I am still learning. The artisans are still teaching me.