Issue · Event
Who Will Tell the Next Story of Indian Textiles?
Applications are now open for one of India's most significant fellowships supporting textile research, documentation, craft and design practice.
Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) × Impart × Nalli
Editor’s Note
ho Will Tell the Next Story of Indian Textiles? Fashion celebrates what is new. Textiles remind us what is worth keeping.
Every weave carries more than pattern. It carries geography, memory, belief and the quiet intelligence of generations who understood their materials long before sustainability became a movement.
Yet every year, stories disappear.
A loom falls silent.
A natural dye is forgotten.
A family leaves a craft practiced for centuries.
When that happens, fashion loses something no collection can replace.
Not fabric.
Knowledge.
That is why the Impart × Nalli Fellowships deserve attention.
Created by Nalli Silks, one of India's oldest textile houses, and Impart, a platform dedicated to South Asian art histories, the fellowship supports independent researchers exploring the overlooked histories, materials and traditions that continue to shape the future of design.
Two researchers will each receive ₹5.5 lakh to spend a year asking better questions.
Not to preserve the past for nostalgia.
But to make it useful for the future.
At Ink & Howl, we believe ideas deserve audiences.
Great research should not remain inside reports or academic journals. It should inspire designers, makers, educators, collectors and the next generation of creative entrepreneurs.
Our role is not to organise fellowships.
It is to shine a light on the people and ideas that move our industry forward.
The future of fashion will not be built by technology alone.
It will be built by those who understand materials.
Natural fibres.
Traditional techniques.
Local knowledge.
Circular systems that existed long before the word "circularity" entered our vocabulary.
Innovation often begins by rediscovering what we already knew.
Beyond the Fellowship
Research deserves more than funding.
It deserves a community.
That is why Bespoken is launching the Textile Futures Initiative, an independent effort to encourage members of our community to pursue meaningful research and share their journeys with others.
Creators who choose to apply for opportunities like the Impart × Nalli Fellowships may find support through our wider ecosystem.
Their stories may be featured in Ink & Howl.
Their ideas may benefit from strategic guidance through Design Wolf Studio.
Where relevant, digital prototyping through Tukatech can help transform research into responsible product development with fewer physical samples and less waste.
Not because every research project should become a product.
But because the best products often begin with great research.
If You're Applying
Tell us.
If your proposal explores South Asian textiles, archives, material culture or sustainable design, we'd love to hear your story.
Throughout the fellowship year, Ink & Howl hopes to document the journeys of researchers whose work deserves a wider audience.
Because preserving heritage is only the beginning.
Curator’s Note
Some stories deserve more attention than they receive. This is one of them. We hope it inspires more researchers, designers and makers to document the histories that will shape the future of fashion.
— Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) × Impart × Nalli
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Reflections
What readers carried with them.
A quiet record of what this story left behind. Editors occasionally feature a selection here as a Curator’s Note.
Reading the guestbook…
Reflection Reward
Thoughtful reflections may be recognised with 5 Discovery Points at the curator’s discretion.
Time-bound
Reflection rewards may be offered during selected editorial campaigns. Dates will be announced.
Curated & Meaningful
Editors may recognise reflections that add depth, originality or meaningful perspective.
Rules are set by the curator and may change.
All reflections are reviewed by our editorial team. Only selected reflections receive points and may be featured.
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