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Femantraa

Kanchulika — Reclaimed Kairi Print Layering Jacket

Kanchulika — Reclaimed Kairi Print Layering Jacket

$56.00 USD
$56.00 USD
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Shipping calculated at checkout.
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A reclaimed jacket, rooted in a bodice older than the coat itself

Long before the tailored jacket entered Indian wardrobes, the kanchulika — a short, fitted bodice tied with cord — was already being worn and sculpted into stone across ancient India, from Sanchi to Ajanta. This piece reclaims that lineage: a modern layering jacket built from a single reclaimed jacquard-woven shawl, closed at the neck with a naara tie system in the same spirit as the garment’s ancient cord closures.

Each Kanchulika is cut from one shawl, which means the placement of the hand-loomed kairi motif — the mango-vine curl found across centuries of Indian textile art, anglicized as paisley — falls differently on every piece. No two are alike. What you see pictured is what you receive.

Construction & Fit

• Naara-tie neckline: adjust the front cord to wear the neck closed and structured, or loosened for a wider, draped opening

• Long, open bell sleeves with raw, fringed hems — the original shawl edge, left intact

• Size-free through the body and sleeve; fit is adjusted at the neck tie rather than by garment size

• Cropped, layering-length silhouette — designed to sit over a kurta, blouse, or fitted top

Fabric

Jacquard-woven textile featuring the traditional kairi (mango-vine) motif, sourced from a reclaimed shawl. Fiber content is not lab-verified; hand-feel suggests wool or a wool-blend. We recommend spot-cleaning or professional dry-cleaning only.

Origin Note

As an upcycled, one-of-a-kind piece, minor irregularities — frayed threads, slight color variation, a soft crease from the original shawl’s fold — are part of the garment’s history, not a flaw. 

Specs: 

 
Chest:  (open front design accommodates varying chest sizes)
Length : 20 inches
Sleeve length: 24.5 inches
Armhole: 10 inches
Shoulder: 15”
Neck width (drawstring/dori): 29.5”
Celebrating Body Positivity: Designed to celebrate every curve and embrace body positivity, this outfit is crafted to make you feel confident and beautiful in your own skin.
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Craft Details

Craft Story: On Kairi, and a Sustainability India Never Had to Name

The curling mango-vine motif you see across this jacket — kairi — is one of the oldest decorative forms in South Asian textile art. The word itself comes from the Sanskrit and Hindi for raw, unripened mango, and the shape traces back over a thousand years, appearing in woven and printed textiles long before it ever reached a European loom. What the West eventually named “paisley” — after a Scottish mill town that mass-produced imitations of Kashmiri shawls in the 19th century — India had already been weaving as kairi for generations. The motif carried meaning long before it carried a Western export label: the mango is a symbol of fertility, abundance, and life in South Asian iconography, and its curved silhouette shows up in textiles, temple carving, and mehendi design alike.

Long before “sustainability” existed as a marketing term, India practiced it as an unremarkable fact of daily life. A shawl was not disposable. It was rewoven into a jacket, cut down into a child’s garment, patched, passed between generations, mended at the fray rather than replaced. Textiles carried the labor of dyeing, hand-loom weaving, and finishing — hours and skill that made discarding a garment simply illogical. Reuse wasn’t a virtue signaled on a label; it was the ordinary, load-bearing logic of a textile economy where cloth was too valuable, and too laborious to produce, to ever be treated as disposable.

This Kanchulika sits inside that older logic, not the newer one. It isn’t “upcycled” in the sense of a trend borrowed and rebranded — it’s a return to a practice India never actually stopped needing, before the language of sustainability arrived to describe it back to us.

Care Instructions

OUR WASH INSTRUCTIONS

Please follow our washing guide with care.

We are unable to replace laundry-damaged garments.

Handle gently; avoid machine washing. Recommend dry-cleaning.

Shipping & Delivery

Currently, we’re only shipping to the USA, Canada & UK but we’ll be expanding our reach within the coming months.  

During the checkout process, you have the flexibility to choose your preferred shipping mode.  

The delivery time and cost will depend on your location and the option you selected.  

 Before your product is shipped off, you are welcome to make alterations to your order as you see fit.  

We do rigorous quality controls before shipping out our merchandise. But if you encounter a faulty product, contact us so we can initiate the returns procedure.  

Please note that products on sale are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.  

 Learn more about returns, cancellations & our shipping policy here.

Shipping & Delivery Policy

Return Policy

Please note the following important points regarding our sales policy. By adhering to these guidelines, we aim to maintain clarity and ensure your satisfaction with our products.  

We guarantee the quality of our handcrafted garments and promptly address any issues with defective or damaged items reported within 3 days of delivery. 

We encourage thorough review of product descriptions, size details, and measurements on our website to ensure accurate purchases aligning with your expectations. We only replace/refund defective or damaged items. 

Conditions for Exchanges: 

•  The item must be unworn, unwashed, and in its original condition with tags attached.   

•  Proof of purchase, such as the original receipt or order confirmation, is required for all exchanges.  

For any inquiries or clarification regarding our products, our team is available to assist you via WhatsApp. Please reach out to us before making a purchase to address any concerns. 

If you need to exchange a defective item, please reach out to us promptly.   

Contact us at hello@femantraa.com or send a message via WhatsApp to +91 8287796290 within 3 days of receiving your order to begin the exchange process.  

Read our Return Policy

Radical Transparency

The True Cost of This Garment
We believe in radical transparency. This piece was ethically sourced directly from independent, women-led micro-enterprises in India, ensuring fair and direct compensation for their work.

What’s included in the retail price:

  • The Maker: The fair cost of the garment paid directly to our independent women partners.
  • Importation: International freight from India to our studio, alongside all import and customs duties.
  • Operations: Payment gateway processing fees, packaging/handling, and website maintenance.
  • Sustenance: A 35% margin that supports our curation, styling, and business growth.

What’s calculated at checkout:
To keep delivery fair, shipping is calculated at checkout using standardized flat rates based on the garment's weight.

  • 🇺🇸 For US Customers: We dispatch your orders domestically using USPS Ground Advantage directly from Blaine, WA. You get a predictable flat rate based on package weight, with zero cross-border hassles or international shipping markups.
  • 🇨🇦 For Canadian Customers: Shipped domestically via local ground services at a standardized flat rate based on package weight.
  • 🇬🇧 For UK Customers: We dispatch your orders domestically using Royal mail/Evri directly from Hampshire, UK. You receive a predictable flat rate with zero cross-border hassles or international markups.