Our mission is to be a force for good in the garment industry. To create beautiful, high-quality, handcrafted products through equitable relationships and sustainable practices within the fashion industry. To work directly with artisans at every step in the production process.
Our work is born of Jaipur, India.
"We started out motivated by our love of India, its artisan crafts and wanting the freedom to have our own business. We felt intuitively the importance of treating people with respect and dignity as a fundamental part of our own humanity. We also felt we wanted to use natural fibers, and artisan textiles, and have a high-quality standard. We have always been deeply inspired by Gandhi's philosophy and life and feel motivated to do things in the best way possible. Gradually we realized there was a world of people who had a similar vision and so we engaged with terms like 'fair trade,' 'ethical,' and 'sustainable' as a means of connecting to others who share our belief in fundamental human and environmental values.
Underlying the language of sustainable fashion and manufacturing, are good business practices. These practices are the road to sustainability and the only thing that makes sense. I like the term 'sustainable' the best because it also speaks to something which is at the very core of being human. Our vision must include everyone in the making process. And collectively, we must sustain everyone in the making process as well as our environment if we and our children are to endure. We are all in this together. We must find, and act according to, our humanity — be kind, respectful, sincere, do things well, and make things that will last." --Shari Keller, Director
Our vision is born of a belief in
human dignity
people helping people
and a market need for a
well-designed, affordable, and sustainable product.
"Thoughtful design goes hand-in-hand with beautifully made, hand-crafted textiles. Sustainable production, artisan craft, and thoughtful design must be integrated to create a new business model, that of slow fashion. When all aspects are integrated, and the makers have a voice and are part of the process, then there is real trade. Fair trade protects artisan rights, but trade alone should be the equitable exchange of both ideas and goods between people and should support the greater good. We are engaged at every step of production, with the people, the story, and the equitable exchange of goods and ideas for the greater good.” —Shari Keller, Director
We use environmentally positive production practices to reduce our footprint as much as possible.
We have integrated our manufacturing, brand, and Meher Road Foundation projects in a transparent and vertical supply chain using:
Our commitment to both sustainability and design allows us to work in an organically connected way with our entire team.
Mark and Shari Keller are the founders and owners of Mehera Shaw (both the brand and the private limited company), but our Jaipur staff are the heart of our story. Together with our Jaipur team, we've built up our company one day at a time.
We are a small company made up of our management team, pattern masters, production manager, quality checkers, artisan printers, and stitchers. We work on each and every project as a team.
Our Founders - Shari and Mark Keller
We started the Mehera Shaw brand in 1999 motivated by a desire to work with the highly-skilled block print artisans of Jaipur, India to develop beautiful handmade clothing. We wanted to work in a more equitable way that would also reflect the traditional designs and beauty of block prints. Our deeper motivation has always been, quite simply, a love of working in India and a belief in Mahatma Gandhi's ideals for humanity.
We both have long-standing connections to India and had worked with artisans in India and in the American market for several years before starting our brand.
We founded our fair trade manufacturing company, Mehera Shaw Textiles Pvt. Ltd., in 2007 as an ethical and sustainable manufacturing company to ensure we were a vertical company that could guarantee worker rights for artisans, fair trade standards, supply chain transparency, and improved environmental standards.
Shari has since become the Executive Director with a vision for the company. She is also the Creative Director for our Mehera Shaw brand. She was an anthropologist in a former life with a background in design, which led to a long and circuitous, yet surprisingly clear path, to the world of artisan textiles.
“I first visited India when I was seven years old. It changed my life. I fell in love— with India, with artisan textiles, and with a different vision of the world. My love of textiles led me into design and my love of India led me to work with textile artisans. As a graduate student, my research with artisans in India opened my eyes to the need for a more sustainable way of doing business.
I am dedicated to the belief that safe and dignified working conditions and transparent, equitable relationships are the only way to do business. I have been working with artisans in India on this principle from the start of our enterprise.” —Shari Keller
Our styles are meant to give room to breath and move. We use fine tailoring coupled with a relaxed, comfortable fit.
We use a fit guide for each of our styles to provide more information about the fit that was intended.
Slim Fit: a close fit to the body. Regular Fit: a comfortable, relaxed fit with room around the body. Generous Fit: a very loose fit (such as in our oversized blouses) with lots of room around the body for ease of movement.
h4XS/ 36 |
h4S/ 38 |
h4M/40 |
h4L/ 42 |
h4XL/44 |
|||
h4chest |
h435.5 inches/ 90 cm |
h437.5 inches/95 cm |
h439.5 inches/ 100 cm |
h441.5 inches/ 105 cm |
h444.5 inches. 113 cm |
h44cm extra from body |
|
h4waist |
h426 inches/ 66 cm |
h428 inches/ 71 cm |
h430 inches/ 76 cm |
h432 inches/ 81 cm |
h435 inches/ 89 cm |
h4fitted |
|
h4low waist |
h428 inches/71 cm |
h430 inches/76 cm |
h432 inches/ 81 cm |
h434 inches/ 86 cm |
h437 inches/ 94 cm |
h4fitted |
|
h4hip |
h437 inches/ 94 cm |
h439 inches/ 99 cm |
h441 inches/ 104 cm |
h443 inches/ 109 cm |
h446 inches/ 1 |
h44cm extra from body |
All garments have been washed several times during the printing/dyeing and manufacturing process.
CARE for 100% cotton
We recommend cold water machine wash (up to 30 degrees celsius) with a bio detergent and either tumble dry on low heat or line dry in shade for all of our 100% cotton garments/homewares (except for quilts).
Iron on reverse side of garment following fabric settings.
Do not use bleach or stain remover.
Cold water wash and low heat drying or line drying in the shade will increase the life of the garment, prolong the vibrancy of the colors and reduce energy use. Shrinkage on all cottons is minimal, approximately 3%.
Garments/homewares are dyed or printed using AZO free, low-impact, pigment or reactive dyes unless otherwise noted. These dyes are color-fast, but care should still be taken to wash with like colors to retain the vibrancy of the colors.
CARE for 100% cotton quilts
For quilts with cotton fill, we recommend spot or light surface cleaning only with a damp cloth and mild detergent. Eco-friendly dry cleaning is also recommended.
CARE for herbal/vegetable dye items
Vegetable dyes are not colorfast and are specifically marked in the product description. We strongly recommend that all vegetable dye products be washed once before use in a cold water wash with minimal detergent. Wash separately. Tumble dry on low heat or line dry in shade. Iron on reverse side. Do not use bleach or stain remover.
Please keep in mind that indigo dye does continually fade over time. This is the nature of true indigo dye and is not a defect, but rather a sign of the 'living' nature of the dye.
CARE for silk and cotton/silk
For our silk and cotton silk garments/homewares, we also recommend gentle cycle machine wash cold water (up to 30 degrees celsius) or delicate hand washing to increase the life of the garment and reduce the environmental footprint from energy use, detergents and water wastage.
Tumble dry on low heat or line dry in shade.
Iron on reverse side of garment following fabric settings.
Do not use bleach or stain remover.
Dry cleaning using an eco-friendly service is also recommended.
CARE for linen and cotton/linen
For our linen and cotton linen garments/homewares, we also recommend gentle cycle machine wash cold water (up to 30 degrees celsius) or delicate hand washing to increase the life of the garment and reduce the environmental footprint from energy use, detergents and water wastage.
Tumble dry on low heat or line dry in shade.
Iron on reverse side of garment following fabric settings.
Do not use bleach or stain remover.