I’m Sara, a textile artist and designer of 20 years, passionate about sharing stories through fabric.

I’ve been developing Studio Astray for over five years alongside running Animalesque and navigating motherhood. In 2018, feeling the increasing pressure to produce textile goods faster and more cheaply, I began to feel disconnected from the fabrics I was working with. I turned to the long-admired swatches of block-printed cotton and embroidered sari trims in my sketchbook, and decided to retrace their origins.

This creative journey led me to Kutch, India. Kutch is home to deep-rooted textile traditions, including Ajrakh block-printing, a traditionally eco-friendly and complex craft. I was honoured to learn directly from Sufiyan Khatri - a tenth-generation master artisan - who deepened my appreciation for this intricate, time-honoured, art form.

I became captivated by Achadiya cloth - the cotton tablecloths that protect the print tables, imprinted with the indigo-blue shadows of patterns been and gone. I’ve always been inspired by the organic beauty and nostalgia of discarded materials and I started collecting, re-purposing and experimenting.

Studio Astray now works within the constraints of these left-behind cloths. Their colours, shapes, textures, and patterns guide every creation.

Nothing is repeated. Past and present are woven together in every completely unique piece.