Indu is Inka’s Founder and Creative Director and an artist at heart. She originally set up her textile studio in 2005, after she got to know and was inspired by printers she met while travelling in Rajasthan. As her studio evolved, so did her art and Inka was born. Indu feels deeply connected to India’s diverse creative history, its myriad influences and its craft traditions. She seeks to mirror these connections in her designs and her love of printing done by hand – a technique in Indian art that’s been around for centuries. Keen to find ways to preserve it, part of her success with Inka has been building a modern business that still honours the integrity of these ancient non-industrialised techniques.

The printing crafts we use at Inka – block and silkscreen printing – take time and skill to master so our highly skilled artisans are at the core of what we do. Dedicated to their art, their commitment and eye for detail is integral to the care that goes in to making every product. Intricately carved wooden blocks make fabrics appear to have been painted by hand, while using silkscreens gives a richly coloured finish. Each design is first carefully drawn and refined before being made into a print and our colours are specially mixed at the studio itself. The details that come, often unexpectedly, from all this work are beautifully imperfect and reflect each artisan’s wonderful craft.

Like so many, Inka had to close in response to the Covid pandemic. During that time Indu and the whole Inka family reflected on how they might take Inka forward safely and sustainably. Our love is home, both our own and the wider one we share. Our goal is to protect this gift. So we’re producing our homelinen in smaller, less wasteful quantities, we’re using decontamination processes to ensure the water we release from manufacturing isn’t harmful to the environment and we’re using azo-free colours that are clear of harmful toxins. We’re eliminating the use of plastic wherever possible, making sure our minimal packaging is reusable and upcycling our waste fabrics. While we’re not yet perfect, the environmental issues of our changing world are clear and Inka is committed to moving forward consciously and considerately.