When I started Sati in 2020, I knew I didn’t just want to make meditation cushions; I wanted to create pieces with soul, integrity and a conscience. As a meditator with a background in design, I felt strongly about shining a light on the process behind what we use and the objects we bring into our lives.
On my very first trip to Jaipur, I went to Sanganer, one of the city’s big textile printing hubs. What I saw there stopped me in my tracks: factories producing chemically dyed fabric, dyes pouring into open drains, staining the water and streets where cows and dogs roamed. Locals told me their water table was ruined and that what once gave life was now toxic. This struck me as a deeply disturbing fact.
In the fast fashion frenzy of the 21st century it seems we are so caught up in keeping up with trends and acquiring more that we often don’t stop to think about the impact - the very real impact - of our buying addictions. Or if we do, we justify our purchases by telling ourselves that the damage is happening over ‘there’ which creates an out-of-sight-out-of-mind mentality. On the streets of this Indian city, the impact of our unconscious habits was impossible to ignore. As a visitor, I could see it and feel it - but for the locals, it wasn’t temporary. They were living with the consequences every single day.
And then, just outside the city in a rural village called Bagru, I discovered something entirely different. Here, artisans still work in harmony with nature, dipping fabric into indigo vats, dyeing with local plants like madder root and printing with mud using hand-carved wooden blocks. Because the production is small scale, every length of fabric and every block print is given real care and attention. After dyeing and printing, the fabrics are laid out in the village square to dry under the sun. Watching the colours come alive naturally, without a single chemical, felt like pure magic - vibrant, joyful, and deeply connected to the earth - and in that moment, I knew this was how I wanted Sati’s cushions to be made.
Natural dyes are biodegradable, gentle on people & planet and create the most beautiful earthy tones; colours that shift and soften with time. In this way they feel alive and truly organic. No two pieces are ever the same, which makes each cushion unique, carrying its own story. This is wabi-sabi in action – a celebration of imperfection and the uniqueness that comes with handmade.
Natural dyeing is a slow and intentional process, steeped in tradition. You can almost feel the love and care woven into each piece and that’s where the real magic lies. The calming tones of nature's colour palette bring a sense of grounding and stillness to your space. It’s like inviting nature to sit with you - a quiet reminder of what’s real, honest and human. But choosing naturally dyed textiles goes far beyond aesthetics; it’s a mindful act. It honours heritage, supports skilled artisans and gently reconnects us to the earth - a connection that is vital if we are to develop the greater awareness needed to imagine a new planet.
Find out more about our natural design process here.
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