the artisanal roots

At XNIIO, every stitch tells a story of heritage and innovation. Our Swiss design studio dreams up each silhouette with precision and then entrusts its realization to multi-generational artisans in Jaipur and Kathmandu—where ancestral know-how in blockprint, tailoring, and knitwear meets contemporary creativity.

swiss design X indian & nepalese handicrafts

Our sketches are born in Fribourg’s mountain-air clarity, then travel to Jaipur’s artisanal ateliers, where fabrics are block-printed and garments cut by hand, and to Kathmandu, where cashmere and wool are spun and knitted with patience and skill. This cross-continental partnership ensures precision, authenticity, and soul in every piece.

blocks & prints

The cotton fabrics come from a heritage mill that our friend has been collaborating with since the early 1990s. In his atelier, they are either dyed entirely by hand or printed using intricately carved wooden blocks in the traditional method. Each step is a meticulous process, demanding patience, precision, and a steady hand.

We were mesmerized as we watched a father and son - whose family has been responsible for printing in the workshop for generations - move around a long table in perfect rhythm, a length of fabric stretched before them. Step by step, ornament by ornament, color by color, a pattern unfolded before our eyes, as if born from a dance - leaving us utterly enchanted.


This is the secret of each fabric's uniqueness: the subtle irregularities that give it character, and the luminous colors that carry the viewer into a world of magic and wonder.

wool & threads

High in the Kathmandu Valley, our knitwear takes shape through the hands of artisans who have mastered the delicate art of working with cashmere and wool. Each thread is handled with care, spun and knitted slowly, one piece at a time, to preserve the natural softness and warmth of the fibers.

We stood in awe, watching women and men knit with a steady rhythm, their needles moving almost in silence, as if weaving not only garments but also stories. Generations of knowledge flowed through each gesture, transforming raw yarn into timeless pieces.


This is the essence of our knitwear: textures that carry the soul of the mountains, natural fibers that breathe and age beautifully, and garments imbued with a quiet elegance born of patience, skill, and respect.