Kullvi Whims strengthens indigenous wool livelihoods and empowers women artisans in the mountain regions of northern India.
Fleece to Fabric
Through conservation of natural resources, dissemination of appropriate technology, and revival of traditional textile skills, Kullvi Whims weaves a future where culture, community, and ecology thrive together.
Handmade Heritage
Founded in 2012 and based in Naggar, Kullu Valley, Kullvi Whims is a women-led social enterprise reviving the indigenous wool economy. Through hands-on training and capacity building, traditionally marginalised communities gain the confidence and skills to lead self-reliant lives and assume leadership roles—preserving multi-generational textile knowledge while meeting modern market demand.
Environmental Stewardship
Every step of their value chain honors the planet:
Traditional craftsmanship
Artisans employ taklis, peti charkhas, and Gandhi charkhas to hand-spin wool, then hand-knit, hand-weave, or hand-crochet treasured Himachali motifs like Kullvi and Kinnauri patterns.Decentralised processing: Kullvi Whim sets up small-scale, solar-powered villages units that handle shearing, scouring, carding, and combing — generating local livelihoods and cutting carbon emissions by reducing long-haul transport.
Natural dyeing
30–40% of their yarns are dyed with locally foraged botanicals — walnut husks, marigold petals, onion skins, lac, catechu, sappanwood, Asian barberry, Himalayan yew — yielding vibrant, non-toxic hues whose dye baths are fully recyclable.
Transparency at the Core
Kullvi Whims is building a fully transparent supply network that guarantees fair pricing, supports ecological grazing practices, and opens ethical domestic and international markets for native Indian sheep wool, Desi Oon, products. By championing indigenous sheep breeds and natural pasture cycles, Kullvi Whims fosters ecological balance, cultural heritage preservation and lasting community prosperity.
Power of the Community
Kullvi Whims works with more than 400 artisan households and 20 pastoral herding households and is constantly expanding its operations to additional communities. The enterprise has been creating sustainable livelihoods that have boosted average monthly earnings of the artisans from practically no cash income in 2012 to a monthly income of INR 9,000 in 2023. The community of artisans drives the enterprise and governs the enterprise’s strategy, planning and execution. Together, Kullvi Whims weaves stories of resilience, turning individual threads into an unbreakable tapestry.
