British Indian sisters Priya and Divya Kukar who grew up in Strawberry Hill have created an eco & ethical yoga & lounge wear brand ‘chaYkra’! The designs are East meets West fusion, with a subtle injection of colour and patterns. Ethical and sustainable fashion does not have to be boring! They really are different to any other yoga brand I’ve seen and although I often get asked to be an ambassador for yoga brands, this is one that I love and trust. They also do yoga mats, bags and beautiful meditation bracelets!
What makes your chaYkra clothes different?
“We aspired to create a yoga clothing brand with ethical & eco consciousness at its heart, which manifests the Indian origins of the practice. All our garments are ethically made with fair trade organic cotton. Clothes are optimal for yoga practice due to their breathable natural organic cotton comfort.”
The brand name derives from the Sanskrit word ‘chakra’, meaning the energy forces in the body and reflects how yoga balances vital energy flows. The brand aims to inspire people to reinvigorate away from the daily stresses of everyday lives and find valuable escapism on the yoga mat.
“We decided on our brand name in honour of the sanskrit word ‘chakra’ which relates to the spinning wheels of energy within the body. The seven letters reflect the seven chakras of the body. We added a ‘Y’ to balance out the word, a dual symbol for both ‘yoga’ and ‘you’. Yoga balances chakra energy flows and gives valuable time for self-reflection.”
The clothes are so comfortable and are also purchased for lounging, working from home and travel purposes. While wearing BAGGY FIXATION HAREMS BLUE my husband asked if they did men’s! The quality of the material (cotton) is beautiful and soft too. Every time I wear any of their clothes to teach my yoga classes – I always get positive comments. What’s also important to me as a consumer – is fair trade in the production and sourcing of materials and their products are ethically made with fair trade organic cotton.
You can read positive reviews about the brand, clothes and the fabric from customers on their Etsy store here.
You can find their lovely new mats…
chaYkra mats
This Fashion United article is a gd summary of our new eco mat range – these are proving very popular especially for home yoga practice!:
Words: Lyndsay Kenwright
