OUR STORY

Kita-Hatu is synonymous with high-quality home accessories and clothing – made of hand-loomed fabrics – all lovingly hand-sewn in our atelier in India. Our accessory label “Selected by Kita-Hatu” offers beautiful, handpicked accessories, and select jewelry.

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The name Kita-Hatu derives from the village, Kitahatu, in the Indian State of Jharkhand. The state is home to a number of tribes pertaining to the indigenous peoples of India – the “Adivasi” --meaning first people. They are the earliest inhabitants of the subcontinent.  Left behind by the rapid development of other parts of India, the Adivasi still retain a partial barter economy. Forest produce, along with agriculture, continue to be important sources of livelihood. In the case of the Kitahatu village, goods woven on the villages’ primitive handlooms also represent a contribution to livelihood.

 

In 2006, the looms of Kitahatu and the neighboring villages were idle. Heidi started working with the weavers of the village cluster to create beautiful and unique hand-woven fabrics and developed new products for the local market.

 

The Kita-Hatu Brand was launched in August 2017 for sales directly to the public, with all proceeds benefitting 

Kita-Hatu Association's Girls2School Program.

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The Girls2School Program sponsors a few girls’ (resident in Kitahatu Village) education from primary school through adulthood.
 

In July 2018, Heidi, with the support of friends and family, established the Kita-Hatu Association, a non-profit organization. The Kita-Hatu Brand is licensed to the association. All income from the sales of goods go to the

Kita-Hatu Association and are used to finance production costs, with all proceeds going to the Girls2School Program.