At first, there was just this passion that I had for clothes. I loved cotton fabrics for their comfortable soft texture that elevated the wearer to a distinct elegance. The fabrics were available during my growing-up years, and my yearning for these textiles made me learn more about them, especially how traditional designs enhanced this beautiful fabric.
When you have spent all your life in a place like Vadodara that celebrates tradition and culture, that is not surprising. There was a time when Baroda, as Vadodara is fondly called, had shops overflowing with cotton textiles with traditional designs. Also, did you know that the earliest evidence for cotton fibers in textiles is from the Mehrgarh and Rakhigarhi sites in India, which date to approximately 5000 BC?
As time passed, newer fabrics/textiles made their way into the markets and the hearts of the people, and traditional cotton prints started taking a backseat. Sometimes, traditional prints made their way to polyester and other synthetic fabrics that looked good but lacked the comfort of wearing cotton. Now, it was limited to only those who genuinely loved the fabric and would go the extra length to source it.
During this time, I also noticed that people were taken for a ride in the name of cotton fabrics. Textiles with mixed yarns were sold off as cotton, and those with a trained eye could discern the difference. Good-quality cotton fabric was fast becoming a rarity.
In my quest to find good-quality cotton traditional prints, I realized I could put my passion to work to help people like me who loved cotton get authentic stuff. That is how the D Collections came into being.
What started as a small endeavor with a will to bring good-quality cotton fabrics to cotton lovers has grown into a business encompassing traditional prints and weaves with Geographical Indication (GI).