Our Team

Our Team: A Collective in Craft

At Parvai, we believe meaningful work is rarely created alone. A textile carries many hands and minds: farmer, spinner, dyer, weaver, embroiderer, tailor, designer and patron. Each contributes something distinct; each is part of the whole. Parvai works in much the same spirit. We are a small team working alongside artisans, patrons, partners and collaborators, listening, learning, questioning and creating together. What connects us is a belief in human creativity and ingenuity, and a desire to recognise the people, knowledge and time behind everything made by hand. Each of us brings something different: courage, strength, moderation, stewardship, care and resilience.

Together, these qualities shape Parvai.

Effie Thomas 'Courage'

Founder • Vision • Patron & Advocate

Effie’s journey into craft began in the structured world of global corporations and evolved into deeper questions about value, responsibility and what we choose to preserve. A sari-loving community she began in 2016 grew into the Ambassadors of Heritage and Crafts Foundation, bringing her into lasting relationships with weavers, craftspeople and craft advocates across India. Parvai emerged from these encounters and from her belief that beauty cannot be separated from the people and processes behind it. Effie approaches Parvai first as a patron, curious, questioning and constantly seeking to understand more. Her courage lies in asking: Who made this? What knowledge does it carry? Was it made fairly? What deserves to be seen and understood? Above all, she remains a seeker, learning, observing and advocating for the human behind craft.

Ane Thomas 'Strength'

Creative Lead • Design • Production

A visual artist, researcher and meticulous planner, Ane transforms ideas into form while remaining deeply attentive to how things are made. For her, design begins with understanding, fibre, yarn, colour, proportion, technique and the knowledge already held by the artisan. She works closely with craftspeople through ideation, technical development, material selection and production, following each piece from its earliest thought to completion. Her eye is exacting, but never in pursuit of mechanical perfection. It comes from respect for the artisan’s labour and the patron’s trust. Ane listens to what the maker knows, what the material allows and what an idea can become. Her strength lies in bringing these elements together with patience and clarity, giving imagination discipline and ideas form.

Nikhil Kumaran 'Moderation'

Finance & Operations • Systems & Sustainability

A Chartered Accountant with international experience, Nikhil brings financial discipline to a world where value cannot always be measured by numbers alone. Time spent within weaving communities transformed his understanding of craft economics. Behind every cost lies time, specialised knowledge, uncertain production cycles and human livelihoods. At Parvai, Nikhil works across finance, procurement, payments, planning and systems, ensuring that creative ambition is supported by responsible structures. His questions are simple but essential: Is it fair? Is it sustainable? Is it necessary? Can we do it better? For Nikhil, moderation is not about limiting possibility. It is about creating the stability that allows good work and meaningful relationships to endure.

Sherin Vijay 'Stewardship'

Operations • Craft • Production • People & Partnerships

Growing up in Balaramapuram, one of Kerala’s historic weaving communities, Sherin’s understanding of textiles began close to the loom. Formally trained at the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology in Salem, he brings over twelve years of experience in India’s handcrafted textile industry, including work with organisations such as FabIndia. His experience spans operations, sourcing, production, artisan engagement and retail. Sherin understands both the possibilities and the realities of handcrafted production, its rhythms, unpredictability, people and processes. He brings this accumulated knowledge to Parvai, connecting operations, production and people with clarity and purpose. His stewardship lies in building stronger systems around craft without losing sight of the human relationships that sustain it.

Ruby Vismonte 'Care'

Store Administration • Making & Finishing

Ruby comes from a family of seamstresses in the Philippines, carrying with her an inherited respect for making by hand. For more than eight years, she has been one of Parvai’s most constant presences. She manages patron communication, supports exhibitions and attends to the countless details that shape how our work is experienced. An accomplished tailor and seamstress, Ruby also undertakes finishing and packaging, bringing patience and precision to the final stages of making. Even remnants find possibility in her hands, becoming flowers, garlands and small accessories rather than waste. Ruby reminds us that care does not need to announce itself. Practised consistently in the smallest things, it becomes a way of working.

Latha 'Resilience'

Studio Administration • Embroidery • Finishing & Fulfilment

A trained embroiderer, Latha has been an integral part of our Kottayam studio for the past three years, working across studio administration, embroidery, finishing and packing. Her journey reflects the possibilities that skilled work can create. Through knowledge learnt, practised and mastered, she has built confidence, capability and greater independence. Latha represents many women who have created their own pathways through the strength of skills acquired and excelled in. At Parvai, she brings patience, precision, resourcefulness and a quiet determination to everything she does. Her resilience is found in consistency, in learning, working, improving and taking ownership of what she knows. Through Latha, we are reminded that skill can become not only a means of making, but a source of dignity and agency.

We Participate

Parvai exists through relationships, between artisan and patron, tradition and imagination, material and maker, knowledge and curiosity. Our role is to participate responsibly within them. We design. We facilitate. We question. We support. And, very often, we simply listen and learn. There is no single hero in craft. There are many people, each carrying a part of the knowledge, labour and imagination that allows it to continue. We are one part of that larger community. Our invitation is simple: See. Experience. Participate. Cherish.

And perhaps, in doing so, see the human in craft.