Mili Suleman is a graphic designer by trade, but she pivoted a decade ago in search of more hands-on work.

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“I wanted something more involved, more complex, more tactile,” she explains. “When I came across a John Robshaw textiles book, it opened my eyes to this whole industry and all these incredible things happening in India. Growing up with Indian culture, I was very involved with textiles. So I thought, ‘Maybe I can take my skills and do something with fabrics.”

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This epiphany inspired Mili to travel to India to learn everything she could about textile-making, from spinning to weaving. She brought her parents on her discovery trips, too, creating priceless memories along the way. “Sometimes I went with my mom, sometimes with my dad,” she says. “They live in the Middle East, so it was a way for me to connect with them.”

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The result is Kufri, Mili’s Dallas-based handmade textiles and home goods brand named for a hill station in India. “It’s in the mountains and it snows, so people go there to get away for respite and it just has a nice energy,” she notes. Here, Mili shares more about her company, from her design philosophy to the best thing about her job.

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My design philosophy

It's laid back, but interesting. I like fuss-free living. I don't want anything that's too precious or that wears easily. I enjoy living with things that patina with time. And I like to bring in different cultural influences. Inspiration can come from anywhere, but books, travel, and architecture in particular really guide my work.

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Where Kufri products are made

Our textiles are all handwoven in India. The heritage of craftsmanship and weaving by hand already existed there. I knew the language, so this instant connection made it easier for me to navigate. I'm also drawn to natural fibers and India does a spectacular job with them. For all those reasons, it was an obvious choice.

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What differentiates Kufri products from the rest

Clients who are loyal to our line love it for its nuances. They can see and feel the magic of the human hand in the fabric. Can you imagine someone spending hours just spinning or twisting the yarn? Now, imagine multiple households working on each fabric. From spinning to dyeing and weaving to finishing, an infinite amount of human effort goes into making each Kufri fabric. Our fabric has an energy. It’s a natural product and it’s living.

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The place that most accurately represents my brand

Santa Fe, New Mexico. It sounds cheesy and weird, but I call it my spirit place. Of all the destinations I've been to, it always makes me feel at home—and it's hard for me to find a cultural fit. I always feel like a misfit because I'm not really Indian since I grew up in the Middle East, and I'm not fully American, though I've been in the U.S. for 25 years. I'm very drawn to Santa Fe because I grew up with a desert landscape, the town has a great craft community, and it almost doesn’t feel like America.

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The colors I’m loving right now

I'm getting into jewel tones. For a while, we all loved neutral tones and muddy olive hues, but now I want more playfulness than that. Lately, I'm finding myself gravitating towards deep emeralds and peacock blues.

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My biggest “pinch-me” moment

During the pandemic, someone came knocking on the door and said, ‘We need a bunch of pillows.’ Turns out, it was for a head-of-state’s aircraft. We did pillows for all the seats, blankets for the beds, and all the soft accessories. That was a cool opportunity. Our collaboration with Commune was another "pinch-me” moment. It was our first collaborative collection. I have always admired their work so it was a pat on the shoulder when they reached out.

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What I love about my job

What reignites my passion is working in the field with the artisans. I love going on production trips to be in that raw environment, see a fabric come together, experience how the artisans live, and share a meal with the families. It's rewarding because what we do provides them a way to sustain their livelihoods, craft, and heritage. It sounds cliché, but it’s why I do what I do. The textiles are just the icing on the cake.

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The textiles I have a soft spot for

Arcana, one of our newest fabrics is a mix of different fibers: jute, silk, cotton, and linen. These four textures combined create a beautiful pattern available in our bestselling colors. Designers love to come to us for our softer tones, like blush and jade, and our neutrals. Carmel is our bestseller. It’s cotton and silk twill. It's such a classic, but because the silk gives this light and dark tonality. And the Commune Shaker Plaid—we can't keep that in stock. It's just such a great tone-on-tone pattern, especially the neutral one.

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What’s next

We have a couple of new fabrics on the horizon for spring. We also have a really cool range of textiles that I sourced in India. We're going to have some wonderful pillow collections coming out this summer. And we’re super, super excited about our collaboration with Josh Greene that's been in the works for a while. He's so playful with his colors and we've taken more chances in this collection.

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