Shamji Vankar Vishram Valji - INDIA

Based in Bhujodi, Shamji Vankar Vishram Valji carries and pushes beyond the Nationally awarded legacy of his father and his exemplary work in Dhabla weaving. 

Shamji bhai, himself an innovative weaver and early adopter of kala cotton, oversees Vankar Vishram Valji Weaving; a multigenerational craft initiative for the weaving and dyeing of fabrics.

Working with shawls, stoles, furnishings and durries in cotton and desi oon, the endeavour employs around 90 families and, over the last 20 years, Shamji bhai has steadily transformed it into a prosperous business with both local and international clients. 

His work as a weaver and entrepreneur has brought him recognition as a master craftsman, partially in the form of a UNESCO Seal of Excellence.

 In 2014 he participated in the project ‘Hand Made’. Exhibited at Bunka Gakuen University, it highlighted the handmade qualities of traditional textiles produced in Bhujodi. Next year he went on to participate in ‘Cotton Exchange: A Material Response’ which compared and contrasted the social, cultural and historical legacies of cotton trade and manufacture between England and India. 

His newest work: ‘Field to Fashion’, has had him working with Alison Welsh, Head of Fashion Research at the Manchester Metropolitan University.

An International promoter of Kala cotton and Recipient of many awards, Shamji bhai maintains a holistic development in the preservation of heritage, skill, ecology, and identity.

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