Block Shop Textiles, a luxurious handcrafted textile studio based in Los Angeles, California and Bagru, India was founded by sisters, Hopie and Lily Stockman who adhere to the highest ethical standards throughout the production process. Not only are the artistically talented, but they are crazy smart, too: Hopie is a recent graduate of Harvard Business (via Brown University) and Lily  received her MFA in studio art from New York University, where she also taught undergraduate painting for two years. Lily was also a 2013-2014 teaching fellow in the Visual & Environmental Studies Department at Harvard University, where she received the Derek C. Bok award for excellence in teaching.

Inspired by the architecture of Jaipur, the wall drawings of Sol Le Witt and the amazing colors of Joshua Tree; their Fall 2014 collection was released yesterday and is even more stunning than seasons prior. Is that even possible?

I have so much respect for their process, in which they eliminate the production 'middle men' and work directly with a cooperative of 20 master printers in Bagru, India. Every part of the beautiful process is thoughtfully created one piece at a time.

. . . and just as must respect for the artistic conceptual side as well . . .

Their social mission is to provide health care access and protect the environment in Bagru. I am eternally grateful for their devotion to such a thoughtful and ethical process :

Block Shop invests 5% of its proceeds into a community fund that provides basic healthcare to the families in our printing cooperative. In January 2014 we sponsored our first mobile healthcare clinic that resulted in 100% participation by our community. Over 200 people received medical treatment, 67 received corrective lenses, and we sponsored 8 cataract surgeries. In addressing the basic healthcare needs of our community in Bagru, we believe overall quality of life will improve.

We always use and promote the use of natural and non-toxic dyes in Bagru to protect local water resources. Our next initiative is to address the drinking water and waste water challenges of the community. For drinking water, we plan to invest in point-of-use filtration devices. For waste water, our goal is to reclaim and reuse 100% of our processed water for beneficial use."

As mentioned previously all work is handmade: the wooden blocks are carved by hand, the fabric is printed by hand and dyed by hand. The same way it’s been done in Bagru for 350 years. Through these scarves, they are not only supporting their community of block carvers, dye mixers, master printers, and seamstresses, but ensuring the environmentally-sustainable future of an ancient textile tradition.

Much gratitude. Their collections are available directly on their site here.