Chennai-based brand ‘Indru’ turns jamakkalams into chic bags

In Tamil Nadu, the jamakkalam’s bold green, white, purple and yellow stripes, rolled out on the floor, are a quintessential part of many gatherings — weddings, family meetings and other occasions that bring people together.  

But what if you could carry these iconic colour combinations as structured totes, postman sling bags and more? Indru, a Chennai-based brand is working on doing exactly that, with a vision to make heritage wearable.

For Hari Madhavan and Ramya Balachandran, co-founders of Indru, their connection with the jamakkalam is personal. Ramya hails from Erode, and in 2022, an opportunity to work on a project for the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) on jamakkalam revival had the couple going back to the town of Bhavani.  

Hari Madhavan and Ramya Balachandran
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“We were trying to explore new ways of using the jamakkalam and newer designs, by putting a modern spin on it. We first had to learn and understand the art behind it, and what is possible and not possible with this,” Hari says. 

With over 13 years of experience in the bag-making industry with their brand Hydes studio, which designs and sells leather bags and accessories, it was only natural that they gravitated towards working with bags again. “We sat down with the weavers in Bhavani, explained what we were trying to do, and worked on understanding colours, patterns and techniques. We had to start at the design level and work our way up,” says Ramya. 

In Bhavani, the couple says they learnt more about how weaving jamakkalams was becoming a dying tradition, with only a handful of families still practising the craft. “The weavers are currently scattered around Bhavani and we had to work with them and understand what their difficulties are. Revival projects like this, we feel, are probably something that will encourage and sustain the craft. The jamakkalams used to make bags for Indru are specially woven by the weavers we work with” Hari says. 

Indru’s range of bags heroes the jamakkalam and its pops of colour, and keeps their designs modern. While Bommai, a postman sling, has a green, yellow, purple and orange striped jamakkalam pattern, Kadal, a shoulder-sized tote has broad blue and white stripes. The trimmings and handles on the bags are made with upcycled leather. “Functionality has always been the core of our bag making and there are pockets, rear zippers and other small details that we add to make the bags more user friendly. The bags should be something people come back to, and to use for a long time,” Hari says. 

The jamakkalams are woven specially for these bags, which have leather trimmings and handles
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

While customers have the option of customising their bags and getting their names monogrammed, Indru also offers to make bags vegan on request. 

“While the nostalgia factor is high with our older customers, the structured bags and the colours seem to appeal to GenZ, who appreciate these bags as a fashion statement,” Hari adds. 

Bags are priced from ₹6,000 onwards on shopindru.com