How mazo brings Indian textiles into western shapes
mazo takes Indian textiles and craft and cuts them into western shapes for women: tops, skirts and dresses you can wear to work, on a weekend or to a festive dinner. The fabric or the craft comes first, then the shape that lets you wear it every day. Here is how that works, piece by piece. Every one is designed in Bengaluru.
Where the idea comes from
mazo started with one question: why are Indian fabrics loved all over the world, but still missing from everyday wardrobes here at home? Our founder, A Madhumitha, is a fashion designer who grew up sketching clothes. The brand is her way of bringing these textiles home and giving them a new everyday life, in shapes that feel current. Before someone overseas turns them into a luxury trend, we would rather wear them ourselves first.
Start with the textile
Each collection begins with one Indian fabric or one Indian craft.
The Madras Theory, our first collection, is cut from 100% handloom Madras check cotton, woven in Tamil Nadu. The yarn is dyed before weaving, so the checks and stripes run through the cloth. It is light and it breathes, which is what you want from a top in an Indian summer. If you want to know more about the cloth, read what Madras check is.
Jig Jig, the second, is about a craft. Aari is a hand embroidery worked with a hooked needle in a fine chain stitch, and it usually waits for weddings. In Jig Jig it is hand finished with sequins and zari on a silk or crepe base. Our guide to aari work vs embroidery explains how it is done.
Then find the western shape
The shape is where the textile meets the way you dress now. The shapes are ones you already wear: a peplum, a bell sleeve, a midi, a mini skirt. The fabric is what makes them new.
A light Madras check became a peplum top with a smocked bodice and shoulders that tie, the Bluebell Breeze. A green Madras stripe became the Sundown top, with a mandarin collar and a keyhole that ties at the neck, made for office days. Pink and rust stripes became the Rosé, a bell sleeve top with a tie-back. And a red and yellow check became the Summer Jam, an A line midi dress with side ties at the waist.
Aari, a craft you would normally see on a bridal blouse, went onto shapes you would not expect. Mirchi is a fitted red top on a silk base with sequin stripes, a mandarin collar and a corset style lace up back. Tamasha is an A line mini skirt in green crepe, fully lined, with bands of aari, sequins and zari from waist to hem. Ivy is a bottle green short dress in silk with bell sleeves and floral aari, cut so it also works as a short kurti over pants.
Details you can see
The details are the part you notice up close. On the cotton pieces that means fabric-covered buttons, tie-up necks, tie backs and side ties, so you can adjust the fit yourself. On Jig Jig it means lace up backs you pull in to fit, and embroidery placed where it catches the light. Every product page names these details plainly, along with the fabric, the fit and how our model wears it.
Made for an Indian day
A western shape in an Indian fabric still has to work in an Indian city. The Madras Theory is cotton because cotton suits the heat. The pieces are cut to pair with what you already own: the Sundown with white trousers, the Bluebell with charcoal jeans, the Summer Jam with flat or heeled sandals. Jig Jig is festive wear that does not wait for the festival: Mirchi with black trousers for a party, or with jeans and flats on a regular day; Ivy as a dress with heels, or as a kurti with straight pants.
Ready to ship, or made for you
The Madras Theory is in stock and ships in 3 to 7 business days, in sizes XS to XL. Jig Jig is made to order once you place your order, because each piece is finished by hand. It reaches you in about 20 days, in sizes XS to XXL. Standard shipping is free across India on every order, and every piece can be exchanged within 7 days of delivery.
What comes next
Madras cotton and aari are the start. The idea is bigger than one fabric, so the next collection will be a different textile or craft again, cut into the shapes you wear every day. Read the story of mazo, or see every piece in one place.