Our story
Indian cotton, village workshops, and clothes made to be lived in
Nelberry is a small brand with a long thread, running from the knitting villages around Tiruppur, India, to you.
Meet the founder
Hi, I’m Pooni
I grew up in a village outside Tiruppur, in Tamil Nadu. If you own a plain cotton T-shirt, there’s a good chance it was knitted somewhere near my home. In Tiruppur, clothing isn’t an industry you read about. It’s what your neighbors do for a living.
For a long time, the workshops there mostly made clothes for big brands overseas. Over the last few years, that’s changed. Many of them now work with small, independent labels too, and that’s what made Nelberry possible.
So we keep it simple. We work directly with a handful of small workshops in Avinashi, Unjapalayam, and Thulukamuthur, and bring what they make to people here in Massachusetts: heavy, soft cotton in solid colors and roomy fits.
Where the name comes from: nellikkai is the Tamil word for amla, the little gooseberry that our logo’s berries resemble.
Where it’s made
Old textile towns, making something new
India has been spinning cotton for thousands of years. Lately, the same towns that made plain tees and bedsheets for the rest of the world have turned to heavyweight hoodies and sweats, and a whole wave of independent brands, in India and abroad, has grown up around them.
- Where we work
Tiruppur
Tamil Nadu
India’s knitwear capital, and where we work. For decades its factories made basics for big international labels. These days many of them also take on smaller runs for independent brands like ours.
Ludhiana
Punjab
Long known for winter woolens. A lot of its machinery has moved over to heavy cotton fleece and French terry, the thick, high-GSM fabrics a good hoodie needs.
Ahmedabad & Surat
Gujarat
Gujarat is one of India’s biggest cotton-growing states, and its mills do much of the cotton processing and printing that the rest of the industry relies on.
How a Nelberry piece comes together
1. Cotton
It starts with cotton grown in Tamil Nadu, spun into yarn and knitted into fabric near Tiruppur. For hoodies and sweats we go heavy: thick fleece and French terry that keep their shape wash after wash.
2. Tiruppur workshops
Small family-run workshops in Avinashi, Unjapalayam, and Thulukamuthur dye, cut, and stitch each piece, with a mix of good machines and careful hands.
3. The garment
Hoodies, tees, sweatshirts, and sweatpants in solid colors and relaxed fits. Made to be worn hard and kept for years.
The villages
The people behind our clothing
Our partner workshops are in Avinashi, Unjapalayam, and Thulukamuthur, a short drive from Tiruppur.
Want something made just for you or your team?
The same workshops can make custom pieces with your logo or design.