LiA Week 5

Now that I’m in Kolkata, I started to look at the craft legacy of Bengal. Weaver’s Studio is a wonderful place that creates beautiful designs of handwoven clothing made with sustainable natural dyes such as kashish dye. The clothing company, as a whole, prioritizes social, cultural, and environmental sustainability. The bustling city is filled with pockets of artistic areas with the most stunning murals and intricate handmade cloth items made by the artisans of Bengal. Their remarkable collection, including Jamdanis, is sometimes described as “150 count Khadi cotton and Bangalore silk.” While it is common practice today to mix silk with cotton, it is still a wonder how the soft original Jamdani remains a high count of full cotton — such soft, luxurious, and high-count thread made by hand. According to the owner, Darshan Shah, a rare muslin sari was acquired and sold the other day! Jamdani motifs are also featured in many of their designs, bringing an age-old craft tradition to modern fashion.