Enduring Expressions

India is home to a spectrum of timeless, heritage textiles that paddle against seasons and trends. Brinda Gill throws light on a few of them.

- Brinda Gill

Travelling across the vast and varied country that India is, one comes across a host of textiles and textile techniques. From weaving and embroidering to printing, resist-dyeing, and fabric painting, each technique ranges from relatively simple to complex.

These techniques have either been practiced in their original forms or with some adaptations for centuries. We only have to look inward and into the Indian textile traditions to find a vast and deep resource of techniques, textiles, designs, natural dyes, colors, and garment styles that can offer us ample ideas to create our own versions of the same.

NATURAL FIBRES

Textiles in India have traditionally been—and continue to be—woven with yarns of natural fibers, some of which include cotton, cotton-silk, mulberry silk as well as eri silk, wools, linen, jute, and hemp. These textiles, woven with yarns of natural fibers, are breathable and gentle on the skin. Khadi, the handwoven fabric spun with hand-spun yarns, has been woven in India from the ancient times. Its texture has a tactile quality that makes it instantly comforting to touch. Khadi is the perfect choice for those seeking handmade fabrics as it is the handiwork of the artisan. Khadi that is dyed with natural dyes goes a step further.

A BROAD REPERTOIRE

By weaving cloth of different counts of yarns and weaves (such as plain, twill, satin, and more complex weaves with the help of mechanisms such as jala, traditionally used for Benaras weaves), weavers produce a choice of fabrics for garments that are suited for different seasons (from searing summers to bitterly cold winters), as well of those of different textures and drapes. India boasts many weaves that can only be produced on a handloom.