It is a thrill to see numerous traditional techniques and crafts still being practised across India today. Time-honoured art forms like block printing, ikat and many methods of dyeing using natural plant materials. In recent years, I have tried block printing with mud and dyeing fabrics with indigo. This has given me a greater understanding of how artisans handcraft products using traditional techniques.

It is always fascinating to see what colours natural dyes produce depending on the water and the plants used. The fabrics are immersed once or repeatedly in special vats where the dye coats the fibres to give each garment a unique and beautiful colour tone and character. Sometimes the shade is lighter, sometimes darker... this uniqueness is the charm of genuine craftsmanship!

On my visits to Bagru, the hub of block printing, I have learned a great deal about the craft. In this small town near Jaipur in the north of India, artisans specialise in printing with carved wooden blocks. Many well-known brands have their block-printing workshops here. Or should we call them factories? There are about twenty skilled printers at the workshop where our fabrics are produced. At the doorway, a man sits carving new woodblocks with incredible precision and skill. The business is owned and run by the Dharan family, with Mrs. Dharan in charge. She has been a business woman for 50 years, just like me.

Another traditional technique is ikat. A craft I’ve yet to see practised in real life. Ikat is woven mainly in central India, in the villages around Hyderabad. It’s on my list of places to visit next time I’m in India! Hopefully before too long.
 

Gudrun

 

 

Artisan-crafted clothing

Magnificent autumn with cosy Stone 
A stunning statement piece with plenty of width and dynamic dots in autumnal colours. Its edges are beautifully finished with ribbon and it features a tall collar that can be turned up when the air turns nippy. 
Discover Stone coat »