February 2020 Issue Apparel February 2020 issue | Page 58

FEATURE
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.
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 practised 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, colours, 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
fibres, some of which include cotton, cotton-silk,
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mulberry silk as well as eri silk, wools, linen, jute,
and hemp. These textiles, woven with yarns of
natural fibres, 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),