KOMANA creates sustainably made, seasonless clothing and textiles with eclectic prints. Fascinated with the suggestive power of patterns and prints, we invite you on a dreamy journey through shapes and colours. Evoking different cultures and wanderlust, building bridges through lines and patterns. Connecting the artistic with the light-hearted.
KOMANA was founded by my sister Nina and me, united by our passion for design, craftsmanship, and a deep respect for all living beings and the planet. Over the years, we’ve grown a label rooted in connection—between people, cultures, and nature.
As life takes us on different paths, I am now continuing the KOMANA journey with a small, dedicated team—carrying forward the vision with the same values at heart. I am personally responsible for the creative direction, design, and production, and I’m excited to shape this next chapter with great care and intention.
With the KOMANA team, we thoughtfully source organic and fairly traded materials, and we love sharing the stories behind each piece—celebrating the skilled artisans who bring them to life. And now, with our first shop at Stauffacherstrasse 178 in Zürich, we’re thrilled to meet you in person and grow this beautiful community.We believe clothing should have meaning and soul. KOMANA pieces are made to be cherished—companions for everyday adventures, made responsibly and always with joy.
Warmly,
Livia Henne
OUR PROCESS
KOMANA textiles all come to life through our own custom made, hand illustrated prints. All starts with beautiful paper, a pot of ink and a selection of paintbrushes. To get in a state of flow, tapping into the treasure trove of the subconscious. The patterns start to live and provide the foundation of the collections.
Then it goes from sketch to cloth. The artistic and rudimentary background has to be preserved and to remain perceptible, so the brushstrokes are often recognisable in our designs.
We then print our textiles with silkscreens, digital printing as well as artisan made woodblock. Our fair-trade manufacturing takes place in Jaipur, India as well as London, UK.
At the same time we are dedicated to the research of fabrics - we interact with our artisan partners in India who make our wonderful hand-made Khadi fabrics, and examine the qualities and sustainability criteria of new contacts.
BLOCK PRINTING
For centuries beautiful and elaborate patterns have been printed on textiles and paper using the wood block print method. Many artisans have carried this profession in their families for generations and can continue this tradition in their villages.
The elaborate process starts with the block preparations: On a flat chopped surface the patterns is drawn on by hand. After, the negative is being chiselled out using the finest instruments. A process only mastered by a very skilled artisan.
Next, colours are mixed and fabrics tested. Only natural colours and no harmful chemicals are used, securing the health of the worker, the wearer and the environment. All artisans are paid a fair living wage and are fully employed enjoying many employee benefits, see Fair Trade section.
The analog printing process challenges to adopt our ideas to the age-old woodblock printing method, in teamwork with our talented artisans. An interaction, not just an assignment. The labour-intensive process of printing, one stamp after another, is fascinating and really mesmerising. Pictured is print maser Ghanshyam Ji from our artisan partners in India. The traditional process also reflects in our choice of fabric. They are either organic fabrics and often hand-spun and handwoven cloth. The manual work is noticeable and can not be replaced by a machine. In this way we also secure jobs and keep and age-old, sustainable know-how alive.
Screen printing is a more modern way of pattern application on textiles. Our screen printing is done by an environmentally conscious small family-run factory own Slovenia.
Digital printing - our factories are certified by GOTS and therefore only use organic dye and are conscious of water usage.
FAIR TRADE
We are very thankful to the wonderful people involved in the making of our fabrics and clothes. We only work with suppliers who can guarantee fair labour standards.
Our partners in Jaipur, India lovingly sew and print our Artisan Collections. They are members of the WFTO ( World Fair Trade Organisation) and the Fair Trade Federation. All garments are made in-house using sweatshop-free, fair labour standards. Some of the employee benefits are full time employment, staff bonuses every three months, full medical care and paid holiday leave.
We have also been working closely with a small manufacturing unit in London for the past 5 years. They masterly sew our Jersey and Cupro pieces.
These tight relationships are most important to us and we are always looking forward to the amiable chats and cups of teas together on our visits.
MATERIALS
We work with a variety of beautiful fabrics, most of them made in India (peace silk, organic cotton) and Turkey (jersey, cupro)
Organic Cotton has grown without pesticides or synthetic fertilisers and requires less irrigation as it relies mainly on rainwater.
Most of our organic cotton holds the GOTS standard - this requires a minimum of 70% of fibres to be organic and all inputs such as dyestuff and auxiliaries used must meet certain environmental and toxicological criteria. It also requires adherence to certain social standards based on the International Labor Organisation, ensuring safe working conditions and prohibiting discrimination and child labor.
Ahimsa Silk, also known as Peace Silk. The term “Ahimsa” comes from Sanskrit and means ‘not to injure’ and ‘compassion’ and refers to a key virtue in Indian religions. In relation to our silk, this is a natural product where no harm was made to the silk worms. The cocoons are left until the silk worm naturally hatches from its home and start its new life.
We work with a small producer in rural North India who pay their workers fairly, practise organic silk worm farming and offer training opportunities for their employees.
Cupro is a silky soft fabric with a beautiful drape that is fully vegan. It is derived from cotton linter and made in a close-loop production, meaning the chemicals and water used in production are re-used and therefore has a very low environmental impact.
