This half-sleeve checks khadi shirt is made from pure cotton khadi, handspun and handwoven in Karnataka. The half-inch kora and danube blue check is the kind of pattern that works well when worn loose over a pair of everyday cottons. The fabric comes pre-washed and destarched, soft from the first wear. The relaxed fit sits easily across the body without pulling or bunching, and the shirt breathes the way only genuine khadi can. If you have been waiting for a check shirt that is built with more thought than most, this is a good place to stop looking.

 

Details: Two-piece collar. Half sleeves. Shaped hem with a side printed tab. Front patch pocket with a pouch-like shape, deep enough to be useful. Back yoke with a box pleat. Hand-block-printed inner yoke and trim in a floral motif. Locker loop concealed under the back of the collar. No thick fusing or buckram in the collar or placket, so everything stays soft against the skin. Non-corrosive metal buttons throughout. Individually cut and sewn in our Bengaluru studio.

 

Intent: In Kannada, a Maali is a gardener. Not someone who mows a lawn, but someone who understands that the most important part of growing something is what happens out of sight, below the surface, in the preparation, in the patience.

 

The hand block printed fabric hidden inside the yoke and trim of this shirt carries that same instinct. It is not there to be noticed immediately. It is there because this shirt believes that the inside of a garment deserves as much care as the outside. The check weave, kora, and Danube blue crossing at every half-inch are themselves a kind of cultivation. Maali is not a pattern. It is a point of view.

 

Weight: 350 grams/shirt

 

Colour: Kora and Danube blue

 

Care: Hand wash in cold water with mild/no detergent and dry in the shade.