Looking for an organic, eco-friendly brand to shop from? Well, then, you must check out 2 8 o 1 - a homegrown lifestyle label that does handwoven and handcrafted apparel and bags for both men and women.
The label, founded by Eepsita Banik, aims to reinvent lifestyles by creating “fashion for a cause, one artwork at a time.” And it is, for sure! Born straight out of the loom, the label’s products are handmade and specially woven by Eepsita’s team of weavers (a lot of whom are women) from the state’s Nadia district. They do dresses, overlayers and tops for women while men can get their hands on shirts, blazers and waistcoats - all of it made of handwoven cotton and silk cotton and hand-spun khadi. The embroidery (kantha and French knots) is also done only by hand.
The apparel is all about simplicity, minimalism and elegance. Best part? Eepsita believes in recognising the artisans for the hard work they put in which is why you’ll find the initials of the particular artisan who created that masterpiece stitched as part of the embroidery done on the apparel. Awesome, right? The bags are also made using leftover fabrics only.
We loved the silk cotton pleated Water Bearer Overlayer that'll go perfectly well with either a simple long dress or maybe a top and trousers or jeans. But if it's long dresses that you prefer, then the La La Dress made of self textured handwoven cotton with intricate hand-embroidered floral motifs is the one you should opt for.
Prices for apparel start at INR 3,000 while the bags cost INR 5,000 upwards.