Fabindia

Rising Delhi painter Trishla Jain’s line for Fabindia.

Spend some rupees on a good cause at Fabindia, a boutique with a unique community-driven ethos. This unassuming store in an old converted shophouse is part of a larger chain of outlets over India, all dedicated to supporting the enormously diverse handicraft traditions in the country. Its founder, the late John Bissell, was originally a buyer for Macy’s when he met and married an Indian woman and founded Fabindia to export Indian fabrics to overseas buyers like iconic British designer Sir Terence Conran. These days, Fabindia has over 170 stores in Delhi, Singapore, and even Nepal. All the work on sale is created by a network of over 80,000 rural crafts producers and artisans, who receive an equitable share of the profits. Unlike many of the tourist-y sari shops in Fort Kochi, Fabindia has a diverse range of apparel: you’ll find plenty of classic Nehru structured jackets and pashmina shawls, but ensembles like a short version of the traditional kurta (long-sleeved top) paired with trousers are available for those who wish to don Indian apparel with a modern twist. Fabindia also does limited-edition collaborations with more contemporary Indian artists: The Artist and the Maker, their most recent line with rising Delhi painter Trishla Jain, saw the effervescent colors and patterns of her work splashed across clocks, wooden lamps, stoles, and women’s wear.

1/279 (I) Napier Street, near Parade Ground; 91-484/2217077; Fabindia