Our Ethos

SWIATLO is slow intentional fashion combining the delicate intricacy of hand embroideries, natural dye blockprinting, hand-dyed shibori textiles and zari-border saree upcycling with classic modern silhouettes. Our fabrics are commissioned directly from artisans in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Bangalore and our stitching units in New Delhi are all women-owned. 

Our Story

Our work at SWIATLO is a celebration of cross-cultural fusion and effortless glamour, an ode to the unparalleled beauty of Indian artisan craft and the skilled people behind each piece. SWIATLO was founded in 2019 by Parsons alumni Liz Hartman Sitaraman after falling madly in love with the intrinsic eco-awareness of Indian craft and the breathtaking depth of Indian culture.

Liz left her corporate fashion job at Ralph Lauren in NYC and moved to New Delhi in pursuit of her dream to create artisan-textile fashion garments that she couldn't find on the market already. Of course craft clothing has always existed, but it seemed only in the form of plain basic daily pieces or frightfully expensive heavily embellished evening wear. Where is the in-between? We aim for accessible modern design in easy silhouettes, multi-functional fashion pieces made from fine fabrics. Each piece should be sustainable and seasonless, able to be worn in many ways to many places, over the course of years.

SWIATLO, pronounced “swee-at-lo” is a Polish word meaning “light, to illuminate”,  inspired by the founder’s Polish mother, and her own story of cultural fusion as a Polish-American family living in the USA before moving to India. All of our work at SWIATLO from print to stitch is proudly 100% Made in India, highlighting the exquisite beauty of Indian innovation and heritage craft, offering you uniquely designed forever pieces you’ll be excited to wear again and again.

For the love and humanity of handmade

"When you look at handcrafted garments you are experiencing someone’s life and feelings- you can physically SEE it in the fabric. For my favorite craft of block printing - sometimes there are little smudges where maybe the printer lost focus for a second (distracted by a new love? Thinking of the kids at home?) You can see these little moments of life with every stamped motif. That is the hand, that is craft. To see these imperfections which are not imperfections at all- they’re little notes from someone’s day, a reminder of the human behind the fashion we wear" - Liz

LEARN MORE

Our craftswomen and their beautiful work- Liz with Lakshmi the blockprinter in Jaipur, and Sanjana tying fabric for shibori dying in Jodhpur

Bohemian Blockprint and Shibori Skirts, Dresses and Unisex Shirts

Our ongoing collection of effortlessly bohemian blockprinted cotton designs, made with our... 

Bohemian Blockprint and Shibori Skirts, Dresses and Unisex Shirts

Production Partner

Women Fiber to Fashion

An organization training, employing and supporting female survivors of human trafficking: these ladies make all of our upcycled saree pieces, most notably our bestselling kaftan dresses

SAREE KAFTAN DRESSES

PRODUCTION PARTNER

MasterG

An incredible all-womens patternmaking training center and garment unit. They skillfully stitch many of our blockprint pieces.

BLOCKPRINTS

PRODUCTION PARTNER

Sheqe Apparels

Sheqe Apparels is a fair wage woman-owned unit in Delhi with highly skilled handwork artisans. All of our runway-level embroidered and embellished pieces are made here.

RUNWAY EMBROIDERY