Story of Fabrics
Navaratri - The Festive Fortnight
The air reverberates with the spirit of goodness and togetherness, as seen through the grand celebrations and prayers during the festival of Navaratri. The word translates to 'nine nights' in Sanskrit and at the heart of its festivities lies the legendary story of Goddess Durga, who represents the 'Divine Feminine'...
TGIF MOTIFS: Pushpam - Nature's remarkable masterpiece
Vibrant, fragrant and fresh, flowers are synonymous with our culture in innumerable ways. From dusk to dawn, flowers are interwoven into the daily routine of people all over India. Right from decorating the house to offerings while worshipping deities to medicinal uses, these bright and beautiful blooms represent the very...
The A-Z of Indian Embroidery
India is home to a stunning array of artistic traditions that include a host of embroidery techniques that are as diverse as our land and the many cultures it is home to. Every region boasts of a distinctive style where the embroidery is not seen just as ornamentation but a...
TGIF Motifs - Pulli Kolam: Method, meaning and mathematics
The dynamic and diverse landscape of a region is inscribed onto its weave through motifs, which also have a deeper symbolic meaning attached to it. In this week's edition of The Great Indian Fabric blog, we will be immersing ourselves into the art and science of Pulli Kolams, a centuries-old...
TGIF Motifs - The magic of the Mayilkann
Over centuries, the timeless Kanchipuram weave has become synonymous with certain patterns that constitute a myriad of motifs and weaving techniques. The school of design from this temple town in South India was born not just with the purpose of an aesthetic appeal but to represent the strong symbolic connotations...
The Opulence of Organza
From the vintage moments of the Victorian era, Organza was considered to be one of the prettiest fabrics with a powerful feminine allure. Its name has been derived from the term "Organzine", which is a material made from strong silk fibres twisted into strands. The word Organza first came into...
TGIF - The Timeless Thazamburekku Motif
The "thazhampoo" or "thazambu" is a fragrant yellow flower that grows along the river banks of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In the olden days, these flowers were kept inside wardrobes as fabric fresheners and insect repellants. Young maidens used the flowers as ornaments to adorn their long thick jadais, especially...
A guide to Indian prints and patterns - 2
India's foothold in the art and science of fabric weaving and printing is beyond our imagination. One such fabric printing technique which holds a glorified place in our history is the Tie and Dye, whose origins can be traced back to the times of Alexander the Great. In multiple texts,...
A guide to Indian prints and patterns - Part 1
India has been a cultural and creative hub long before historians prevailed. Amongst her repertoire of diverse art and craft forms, the most prized possessions include an astounding variety of hand printing techniques that go into creating beautiful patterns on fabric. Today, clusters of villages are sporadically spread across the...
The Great Indian Fabric Rudraksham - The Holy Motif from the Himalayas
A land with a diverse and distinct cultural background, India's art forms are differentiated through its reflection of local traditions, landscapes and customs. Historians who have traced and mapped this creative evolution of our community, have come across multiple findings which show that our country was much ahead of its...
The history behind the heirloom Mysore weave
Mysore, the land of sandalwood, is also the producer of a fabric that is as rich as its history. The glimmering silk crepe sarees of Mysore are a gem in the crown of the Maharajas and Sultans that reigned over this land. Coming from a state that is one of...
