This Artisan Cloth – Maiwa Clothing
Blue threads run through our new line of clothing.
We can pick up one end of these threads in Bengal in 2017. At that time everything seemed to be about indigo blue. The Indigo Sutra gathering was happening and there was a lot of talk on the ground about how to revive this famous blue dye for local use. Indigo had been grown in Bengal during British times as an export crop — with disastrous results. But if local artisans could take control of indigo, they could completely turn that history on its head.
We were working with a highly skilled team of weaver-dyers. Once you left the capital city of Kolkata, it seemed like every village house had a weaving shed. People lived and breathed in warp and weft. No day was complete without throwing the shuttle to make a few more inches of cloth.
At that time we focused on dyeing technique. If we could bring up the dyeing skills with natural indigo the rest would follow. The weaving skills were so firmly established.
It was January 2019 when the cloth arrived in our studio in India and we set to work. Yes these really are slow clothes! It is now 2020. The final garments – showing indigo at its best – have just arrived at Maiwa in Vancouver in the past few months. We have dressed everyone in blue. We have taken photos of the fabric and the garments, photos of the stitching and the weaves, we've uploaded everything and are now offering it to you.
Stitched in the Sundarbans
A running stitch is a simple thing. And yet, it can add so much to the feeling of a cloth. It is a linear embellishment that works better if it has a little wander in it.
You may know that the Sundarbans are a collection of deltas formed where the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers empty into the Bay of Bengal. It is an unusual area that is often ravaged by tropical storms. One hit just this year in the early stages of the COVID lockdown. In response we were able to offer relief stitchwork. The results are what we love best about artisan cloth - simple but clearly showing the human touch.
This year’s holiday shipping times are going to be difficult to predict.
For international shipping,
please plan ahead and allow a generous amount of time.
To our U.S. customers – don't forget that the exchange rate works in your favour, it's like an extra discount.
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