Five Minutes with a Friend: Imogen Catling, Vanata Textiles
Vanata takes its name from the Gujarati word for weave. It is, in every respect, an apt starting point.
Mother and daughter team Kate Owen and Imogen Catling have been travelling to India together for nearly twenty years, drawn repeatedly to the Kutch region of Gujarat and the extraordinary concentration of craft knowledge found there. What began as a shared passion for textiles has developed into something more purposeful: a label built on long-term relationships with weavers, embroiderers, and designers whose skills deserve a wider audience.
Hands carefully stitching bright blue tassels onto a vibrant red Vanata textile, showcasing traditional handcraft and detailed embroidery work.
At the heart of Vanata's work is a commitment to the people behind the cloth. Many of the weavers they collaborate with are fourth-generation artisans, carrying forward techniques refined over lifetimes. The women-led embroidery collectives bring an equally deep lineage — Rabari needlework traditions translated into contemporary designs without losing the identity and precision that make them remarkable.
Hands carefully stitching bright blue tassels onto a vibrant red textile, showcasing traditional handcraft and detailed embroidery work.
Every piece reflects this layering of knowledge, from the hand-spun Kala cotton, an indigenous rain-fed fibre grown without irrigation or chemical pesticides, to the natural dyes derived from indigo, madder, pomegranate rind, and iron-rich earths. Their Ajrakh textiles, block-printed by Khatri artisans using hand-carved wooden blocks and natural dyes, undergo a slow rhythm of printing, dyeing, and sun-drying that can take months to complete.
The result is a collection that wears its process honestly. Textiles made with care, knowledge, and a respect for the hands that produced them.
The Vanata Ajrakj Merino Wool Shawl, currently featured as part of the Selvedge Issue 123, Flower prize draw.
Vanata are generously offering readers the chance to win an Ajrakh merino wool shawl and a pair of matching pillows, worth £360, as part of our Issue 130, Flower prize draw.
The prize is a fitting introduction to the craft. Ajrakh is a resist-printing tradition of considerable complexity: the base cloth is woven by the Vankar community in Kutch before passing to Khatri artisans, who apply pattern using hand-carved wooden blocks and natural dyes, building depth through repeated rounds of printing, dyeing, and sun-drying.
The Vanata Ajrakj Merino Wool Shawl in detail, currently featured as part of the Selvedge Issue 123, Flower prize draw.
It is a process passed down through generations, and not one that can be rushed. The colours that emerge; indigo, madder red, soft blacks, and warm mineral tones, settle into the cloth with a richness that is entirely a product of time and handwork.
We were delighted to sit down with Imogen for our Five Minutes with a Friend series, where she shares the creative inspirations and personal journey behind Vanata — read the interview below:
Imogen Catling, Co-Founder, Vanata Textiles
Portrait of Imogen Catling, co-founder of Vanata Textiles. Photo: Alun Callender
Imogen, what is your earliest memory of a textile?
My parents lived in Hong Kong in the eighties, and they collected a gorgeous array of South-East Asian textiles from their travels. I remember dressing up in those sarongs and printed textiles and doing a mini-fashion show for my parents, aged about 7 years. I also cut up and customised one of my Mum’s prized dresses from Java to fit me - sorry Mum!
How would you describe what draws you to textiles and the world of making?
It sounds a bit cheesy - but it’s kind of in my blood. My great-grandmother was a fantastic seamstress and hand-smocked all these beautiful children’s clothes that I still have today. I also come from a family of cane-basket weavers — the chaise longue and chairs in my house were woven by my great-grandparents.
Vibrant hand-dyed yarns arranged on a finely woven textile, showcasing the rich colours and textures behind traditional weaving craftsmanship.
If you create textiles, where do you feel most inspired to work?
Not very unusual, but I feel most inspired stitching on my sofa at home, with my husband and one of my cats curled up next to me. That being said, the garden of Bhuj House where I often stay is conducive to creativity. It’s a haven, and a special space in a busy Indian city.
What has sparked your imagination or inspired you recently?
I’ve recently been inspired by Gujurati embroidery and how makers are adapting centuries-old techniques to create beautiful products for the modern textile lover. I recently bought a wool textile based on a traditional Rabari shawl, and I love how contemporary it looks when used as a throw.
Dowry bag (gubchi), Kutch. An envelope-shaped storage bag. Cotton ground, densely embroidered with cotton and mirrorwork. Secured by wrapping the attached string around the closed bag. Edged with shells and tassles. Image: V&A Collections.
What is your most treasured textile, and what story does it carry?
My most treasured textile is an early 1920s Banjara community embroidery from India. It was originally a dowry bag that was hand-stitched by a maker in the early twentieth-century. It was later opened up to make a large square wall hanging, which is often done to make the textile more commercial for the tourist market. It’s a beautiful earthy brown colour with geometric stitches, and I will never sell it as it was one of the pieces bought by my parents from their travels.
Where did you first learn your craft, and who shaped your early approach to making?
I first learned stitching and dressmaking from my grandmother, probably around the age of 10. However, I honed my craft with a three year Textile Design degree at Falmouth School of Arts, and have subsequently spent over a decade working with Indian artisans who have taught me embroidery skills.
Is there a piece of music you return to while you work, that sets the rhythm of your making?
I have a couple of go-to albums to help me when I’m making. They’re either old classics like Beethoven’s ninth, or more recently, I’m enjoying the singer Rosalia who blends classic and contemporary beats in a unique style.
Rabari woman's blouse (kamkho), Kutch, ca. 1960-1970, featuring mirrorwork and cotton appliqué. Image: V&A Collections.
What material or technique are you currently experimenting with or curious to explore further?
The technique I’m exploring at the moment is mirrorwork — called Abhla Bharat in Gujurat. There are so many different stitches that you can use to attach mirrors to fabric and I’m starting with a simple buttonhole stitch.
If you could collaborate with any maker—past or present—who would it be, and why?
If I could collaborate with any maker, it would have to be Sonia Delauney. I’m always drawn to geometric designs, and she was so ahead of her time. She was a fantastic painter, but her clothing and theatre design was so avant-garde and I’d love to have translated some of her bold paint strokes into stitches...
Mother and daughter team Imogen Catling (left) and Kate Owen (right), co-founders of Vanata textiles.
What does a perfect day of making look like for you?
A perfect day of making would be a flit through some of my favourite places to get inspiration. Either the Ashmolean in Oxford, or the Leighton House Museum in London. Weather dependant, I’d love to sit outside and draw up some ideas in my sketchbooks, and then translate those ideas into stitch, safe and sound at home with my cats!
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Further Information:
Enter the prize draw to win an Ajrakh merino wool shawl and a pair of matching pillows.
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Image Credits:
Lead: Denim Blue Hand-loomed Cotton and Silk Throw, Vanata Textiles.
All further images courtesy of Vanata Textiles, and as credited in captions.