Sunday, December 04, 2005


Ritu Kumar is one of those rare finds among fashion designers. She has studied and revived some forgotten ancient fabric art. Her book, Costumes and Textiles of Royal India, talks about techniques such as Bandhini, Chikan, Zardozi, Kashida, etc., and the way they evolved with history.

India has a rich tradition in fabric design because the Indian Fashion history consists mostly of drapes: for example saris, turbans, dhotis, etc. Explains why there are several printing, dying, embroidery and weaving techniques but not as many construction methods or constructed styles. Ironically though, economic shifts have made the country one of the big manufacturers of stitched clothes, presently contributing to 14% of industrial production and 27% of total exports.

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