Aranya Crafts

Aranya was founded in 1990 by researcher and social activist Ruby Ghuznavi, built around reviving natural dye techniques and traditional Bangladeshi crafts that were losing ground to industrial production. It has since grown into a well-established fair trade organization and a member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO).

The organization runs a Dhaka workshop employing around 36 workers dedicated to dyeing, printing, washing and drying fabric by hand, with roughly 70 people in total working specifically on natural dye production and research there. Beyond its own workshop, Aranya sources from a network of more than 3,000 weavers, embroiderers, jewellers, printers and craftspeople working from their homes and small community workshops across Bangladesh.

Its stated mission combines craft revival — including techniques like Jamdani weaving and Nakshi Katha embroidery — with fair wages, transparent audits and sustainable employment for rural artisans, aiming to preserve Bengal's textile heritage while connecting its producers to mainstream markets.