A logo for a beautiful reason

I WAS LUCKY to have the opportunity recently to design a logo for Amrita Sacred Threads, a new clothing line. The clothes are a delight: the designer has struck a perfect balance by using Indian sari silk, with its luscious colors and complex woven detail, to make contemporary clothing that you can wear anywhere. But the reason for the clothing line is just as lovely: it supports women in India to be self-sufficient.

After the 2004 tsunami hit the shore of Kerala, India, many women there were widowed and had no way to support themselves and their families. Fortunately, the charitable collective Embracing the World offered a number of these women classes in sewing as a trade skill. The seamstresses’ mastery has increased to creating the beautiful garments you can preview on the Amrita Sacred Threads web site. Sewing these garments gives the women gainful employment that they might not otherwise be able to find.

It’s always an intriguing challenge to come up with a graphic solution that expresses the right message. For this design, I was inspired by a concept that struck me from an early version of the text for the Amrita Sacred Threads web site. The writer had commented that buying and wearing one of these handmade garments creates a beautiful connecting thread between the wearer and the maker. To put this touching idea of connection into an image, I drew a logo design with two woven-looking paisley motifs connected by a thread-like line.

You can read more about Amrita Sacred Threads (and get a look at the logo) at www.amritasacredthreads.com. Also, if you’re in the Bay Area, Amrita Sacred Threads will be at a trunk show in San Francisco on May 5, 2010, and another trunk show in Tiburon on May 14, 2010. See the Events section of the web site for details.