I grew up sobsession led me from Odisha to Mumbai (fashion and film), and then out to Muscaurrounded by paint and Canvas my dad was an artist, and whatever I made I wanted to make bigger than the idea in my head. That t and the Gulf in the early 2000s, where I spent years trying to bend Arabic fashion a little with whatever creativity I could squeeze out.

In 2018 Madhu and I decided to stop talking about “preserving craft” and actually do something. We started the brand in Dubai to put Indian handwoven textiles — cotton, linen, silk — into clothes people want to live in. The goal was simple: translate those beautiful, stubborn fabrics into modern prêt pieces without flattening the craft that made them.

Pretty quickly we realised awareness wasn’t enough. The people who weave the fabric, deserved more than acknowledgement — they deserved to capture value. So, we shifted production back to India, started buying directly from weavers, and built close, long-term relationships with artisans and craftsman. We try to keep runs small, pay fairly, and be honest about the things we don’t get right (late deliveries, dye shifts — they happen, and we fix them).

Now CEEO ORIGINALS is based in Mumbai, but the way we work hasn’t changed: fabrics first, makers close, and designs that let the cloth do the talking. If you buy from us, you’re not just getting a garment — you’re supporting a living skill, and the person who made it. If you want to know where a piece was woven or who made it, ask. We’ll tell you.

— Bijay