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In the heart of Jaipur, where the air often carries the faint, earthy scent of indigo and the rhythmic thud-thud of wooden blocks against stretched cotton, a dream was born forty years ago. It wasn't a dream of machines or mass production, but a dream of hands—hands that carve, hands that dye, and hands that print.
This is the story of Soma, a name that has become synonymous with the survival and flourishing of Indian hand block printing.
Picture Jaipur in 1984. Into the hum of the Pink City stepped two young people deeply in love: Andrée Pouliot, an artist from Canada, and Radhakrishnan Nair, from Kerala. They had found each other across continents and discovered a shared passion for India’s most beautiful textile tradition.
They began married life in Jaipur with little more than passion and a single customer back in Canada. It was a brave beginning, but from that modest start, something extraordinary was set in motion—a movement that would, over the next four decades, rescue a fading craft from near obscurity. As they reflect today:
"Working with printers and other crafts people was and still is so fulfilling for both our creative needs."
From that modest start, Soma has grown into a global beacon of "slow fashion," placing its name alongside the great design houses of the world while remaining rooted in the dusty, vibrant workshops of Rajasthan.
To walk through a Soma workshop is to witness a living museum. Every piece is the product of a community—a living ecosystem of skill, knowledge, and care.
Everything begins with the Teak wood. A master carver who knows timber chooses the wood, spending weeks chiseling a single pattern. These blocks are not mere tools; they are the genetic code of the design.
The architecture of a print: Intricate wooden blocks carved with precision to bring floral and geometric patterns to life.
The printer, or Chhipa, stands before a long table. With a steady breath and a practiced eye, they align the block. Thud. The first color. Thud. The second. A standard Soma quilt can require thousands of individual stamps. This is "human calibration"—a precision that no machine can replicate.
The human touch: An artisan meticulously aligning a block, creating a rhythmic pattern that stretches across the cotton canvas.
Soma’s palette is where tradition meets the contemporary. Using natural ingredients like pomegranate skins for yellow and fermented iron for black, the colors are mixed by masters whose fathers mixed them before them.
Vibrant layers: A close-up of the block-printed fabric, showing the depth of color and the delicate 'bleed' that proves its handmade origin.
What makes Soma truly special is its "Year-Round Wage Model." In a world where craft is often seasonal and precarious, Radhakrishnan and Andrée chose a different path. By providing consistent employment, they ensured that the younger generation of artisans saw a future in their father's trade.
Soma isn't just a shop; it’s an ecosystem. When you hold a Soma quilt, you are holding a story. You are supporting:
The Carvers who choose the timber.
The Designers who study the scale of foliage.
The Printers who learned their trade as apprentices.
The Tailors who take pride in a perfect seam.
From craft to lifestyle: Finished Soma products, including their iconic bags and apparel, ready to carry a piece of Rajasthan to the world.
Today, Soma's committed customers are spread from the boutiques of Europe to homes in Australia and the USA. They don't just buy fabric; they buy "The Nectar of Immortality"—the idea that beauty, when created with heart and hand, never truly fades.
As Soma enters its fifth decade, the founding vision remains unchanged: to create beauty that endures; to ensure that the craftsmen of Rajasthan have the dignity and livelihood they deserve; and to share with the world the extraordinary gift of India's living textile heritage.
Explore the full collection of hand block-printed apparel, home furnishings, and gifts at somashop.com.
One block, one colour, one stamp at a time.
