PROJECT

REPORT
SAMVEDANA
ROUTECAMP

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INTRODUCTION

ART AND CRAFT INDUSTRY

India is a land where every corner is evident with the greatness of art and craft. The products
of art and craft are a perfect mix of traditional designs and modern techniques. Due to their
diversity in designs and their being utilitarian in nature, they are high in demand. Products
such as table mats, napkins, bed sheets, lamp shades etc., are made with the use of natural
material, textile printing, block printing, tie and dye, hand printing etc. Other utilitarian craft
products like cushions, curtains, bedcovers, sheets, metal furniture, wood furniture, boxes,
cabinets, garden pots, brass and silverware, utensils, carpets, wood carvings and many more
are on the rise in India as well as in abroad.

The handicraft and handloom sector in India is a ₹24,300-crore industry and contributes
nearly ₹10,000 crores annually in exports earnings. The 12th Five Year Plan had projected it
would become the largest non-farm sector in rural India, swelling its workforce by 10 per
cent, doubling the output and exporting 18 per cent more during 2012-2017.

The industry has great potential in Indian as well as International markets as it provides wide
variety of products and portray diversified culture of India. This leads to emerging demands
of Indian crafts across overseas. As it requires low capital investment, employment
generation becomes easy. The rise in the industry is due to tourism. It can termed as a great
source of foreign revenue as it is a huge export industry. But at the same time, the industry
lacks co-ordination between Indian manufacturers-exporters and Government and there is
inadequate availability of information on new technology. Apart from that although it is huge
exporting industry, it is not provided any promotional support.

TIE AND DYE

It is difficult to trace the origins of this craft to any particular area. According to some
references it first developed in Jaipur in the form of Leheriya. But it is widely believed that it

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was brought to Kutch from Sindh by Muslim Khatris who are still the largest community
involved in the craft.

Today women and girls can be seen sitting in their homes with pieces of malmal (fine
muslin), handloom or silk cloth. This cloth is first bleached and then folded into two or four
layers depending on the thickness of the cloth. A rangara or designer marks the layout of the
pattern on the material using wooden blocks dipped in geru, a burnt sienna colour mixed with
water. The craftsmen then begin to tie the cloth, which is not to be dyed. The folds of the
material within the small motif are lifted and tied together. The material with the first set of
ties is dyed yellow. There is also a process, mostly followed in Rajasthan of dyeing parts of
the material by hand - lipai technique. The material is again tied and dyed into red or green. If
the border has to be darker all the lighter parts are tied and covered with plastics foil and the
edges are dyed with the required colours. Repeated tying and dyeing produces elaborate
designs.

The raw materials required for tie and dye art are - muslin, handloom or silk cloth, ordinary
thread for tying, starch and colours for dyeing. Traditionally vegetable dyes were used but
today chemical dyes are becoming very popular. The tools required are also very basic -
wooden blocks for marking designs and the simple implements for dyeing.

The process of tie and dye weaving starts with preparing the warp and weft from the bleached
silk yarn by spinning it. Squatted on the floor, women reel threads from primitive spinning
wheels to load bobbins. Giant spinning wheels are employed to prepare the warp, which
forms the length of the fabric. The warp is fastened between two poles set apart and marked
according to the design. For preparing the weft (which forms the width), a fan-shaped, spiked
wooden frame is used. Strand upon strand of yarn is deftly wound between the spikes and the
converging rod at the other end of the frame. The yarn is tied with threads and strips of
rubber, in line with the predetermined pattern marked on it. The warp and weft yarns are
individually knotted and wrapped tight enough to prevent the dye from penetrating into it
when dipped in different colours. This is called double-tie-dye method. The process of tying
and dyeing is repeated several times depending on the number of colours required by the
design. When the yarn has dried, the wrappings are carefully removed. The yarn, which is to
become the length of the fabric to be woven, is stretched on the loom while the weft yarn is
once again transferred to the fan-shaped wooden frame. At this stage one can see the patterns

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emerging, ready to be woven together. The craft of tie-dyed weaving is known as Chitki in
Telugu. But its popular name, however, is Ikat. The technique involves great skill and precise
calculations by the textile artisans. The design is very colourful, intricate and attractive but at
the same time very complicated. It takes nearly 15-20 days to weave a cloth of 20 meters -
the maximum length a loom can take. The woven fabric is taken out of the loom and given a
starch-polish before sending it to the showroom.

SHIBORI

Shibori is the Japanese word for a variety of ways of embellishing textiles by shaping cloth
and securing it before dying. The word comes from the verb root Shiboru, "to wring, squeeze,
and press." Although Shibori is used to designate a particular group of resist-dyed textiles,
which emphasizes on the action performed on cloth, the process of manipulating fabric.
Rather than treating cloth as a two-dimensional surface, with Shibori it is given a three-
dimensional form by folding, crumpling, stitching, plaiting, or plucking and twisting. Cloth
shaped by these methods is secured in a number of ways, such as binding and knotting.

Shibori is actually slow and the basic technique of Arimatsu Shibori is to draw a design on a
piece of fabric (usually silk or cotton), then to tie very tight knots with thread around points
of the fabric. The fabric is then dyed; since the dye does not penetrate the knots, when they
are untied there is a pattern of dyed and undyed areas. This can be repeated many times to
produce patterns of various colours. Thus a sor6t of memory on cloth is produced.

The Origin

Shibori was originally an art of the poor. In feudal Japan, many people could not afford to
buy expensive fabrics like cotton or silk, so clothes were often made of cheap hemp fabrics.
People could not afford to replace clothes regularly either, so they would repair and redye
them, and the art of Shibori evolved as a means of making old clothes look new.

Shibori dying in indigo was especially popular amongst the lower class in feudal Japan.
Unable to afford expensive fabrics like cotton and silk, cheap hemp clothing was widespread.

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This was particularly the case during the Edo period when the lower class was forbidden
from wearing silk. Shibori emerged as a technique to renew old, faded, stained and damaged
clothes. 

One of the most famous locations for Shibori in Japan is Arimatsu in Nagoya. When he
united Japan, the first Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu of Okazaki, moved the capital of Japan to
Edo (now Tokyo). Ieyasu required that all the Daimyo or feudal lords travelled to Edo every
other year to swear allegiance to him, and established 53 stations on the road between Osaka
and Edo for them to rest during the journey. To ensure their safety, he encouraged the
foundation of villages around these stations, one of which was Arimatsu, the forty-second
station on the Tokaido, which was settled in 1608 by eight families.

While building a castle in Nagoya for his son, Ieyasu used workers from all over Japan. One
group from Oita brought with them the techniques of Shibori, and the local families
developed the technique to produce the particular beauty of Arimatsu Shibori. Travellers,
along the Tokaido road would buy cloths and towels made by the people of Arimatsu. Three
terms for separate shibori methods have come into international usage: plangi, a Malay-
Indonesian word for the process of gathering and binding cloth; Bandhani, an Indian term for
the process of plucking and binding cloth in small points; and tritik, a Malay-Indonesian
word for stitch resist. However, these three terms represent only two of the major shibori
techniques.

It's Not Tie-dye! Shibori Explained.

Shibori: A Japanese word, that describes a method of textile design which uses threads or
yarn, applied by hand to bind designs through pinching, gathering and stitching fabric. The
threads create a resist pattern which is revealed post dyeing. Shibori has been employed since
8th century Japan some 1,300 years ago and originated in China.

The revival of shibori most often can be seen traveling hand in hand with use of natural
Indigo dye. More recently, we’ve seen a plethora of shibori-ed indigo items, from bedding
and blankets to dresses, scarves and accessories.

Here are some other examples:

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  Kanoko Shibori: The parent of tie-dye.

 Miura Shibori: Used primarily on silk, but nowadays more often seen on
cotton, creates a pattern of tiny rings that replicate the surface of water.

 Arashi Shibori: Also known as "Pole Wrapping". Here lengths of fabric are
literally wrapped around a pole, and secured with more thread or string, to
create almost tiger like stripes, and criss cross linear patterns.

 Mokume Shibori: A running stitch is used in many lines. The threads are
pulled tight and fastened in knots to create the resist pattern. Also known as
Nui Shibori.

 Itajime Shibori: Shape resist dying, is created by using wood blocks of

various shapes on carefully folded and pressed fabric. The block used is then
bound and or clamped on top of folded fabric before dying.

 Tie-Dye:  Created by twisting and pinching, fastening of fabric is completed

with string or elastic bands before various colours of dye are applied.  Tie-
dye made its first appearance in the United States in the early 1900's, though
on its arrival, was a far cry from the symbolic tie-dye of the Love &
Peace counter culture movement, circa 1960. Tie-dye is commonly associated
with vivid colours.

SHIBORI IN INDIA

Regionally-developed techniques for fabric manipulation and dying have existed for
millennia in the sub-continent; the best known of these being bandhani. Bandhani derives
from the Sanskrit word banda meaning "to tie" and developed during the Indus River

Civilisation, where the earliest evidence of dying dates back to 4000 BC. However, the
typical bandhani style of concentrations of small dots that we are familiar with today dates
back to the 6th century AD where evidence of this style is found in the Ajanta caves.  

Bandhani makes use of every colour under the rainbow, though the predominant colours used
are red, yellow, blue, green and black. Bandhani is today only practiced in the areas where it

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was developed - Sindh (Pakistan), Punjab, Gujarat and Rajasthan (India). Bandhani is made
through covering small pinches of fabric with thread, creating geometric patterns through the
concentration of small dots.

Another technique practiced in India is leheriya; leher meaning “waves of the ocean”. This
technique is practiced only in a few areas of Rajasthan, making it quite unique. Leheriya is
created through a complex method of rolling, folding and re-rolling the fabric to create
waves. 

The Japanese style of Shibori was introduced to India, supposedly by Nobel Laureate,
Rabindranath Tagore, in the early 20th century and is now practiced in craft clusters in Delhi,
Gujarat and Rajasthan though the quality and mastery of shibori is far advanced in Japan. The
art Shibori depends on two important factors (1) The desired pattern and (2) The fabric used.

GRAMSHREE TRUST- AHEMDABAD

Mission: Supporting the survival of artisans and preserving craft traditions.

At Gramshree they encourage each woman to work, so that she may strengthen her family.
Women forming more than 60% of the work force in the handicraft sector. Gramshree has
contributed in strengthening the sector through providing nurturing environment to the
women.

They are given skill training in embroidery, patchwork, catering and stitching. Through there
different programs in health, education, personal finance and leadership training she
discovers her confidence.

At present, Gramshree works with more than 2000 women in the slums and lower income
areas of Ahmedabad and the rural regions of Patan, Mehsana, Kutch, Bhavnagar and
Bharuch. They showcase their products through “Craftroots”.

CRAFTROOTS

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60% workers working for Craftroots are women Crafroots is into making 45 different arts.
Craftroots does the work of connecting NGOS, designers and management institutions. Core
functions of Craftroots are doing survey about the art, creating awareness about the art,
designing the product, making the product, marketing and selling the product. For this work
Craftroots involves in the partnership and makes them stakeholder of the firm. Partners of
craftroots are students of different designing institutes like National Institutes of Fashion
Designing etc., collaborations with designing students of local institutes. There major
collaborations are with SAHAJ, KHAMIR. Sahaj is an organisation which does the work for
sustaining and developing rural and tribal communities. Khamir is an organisation which
does the work of promoting rich art and also the artisians of Kutch.

AKRITHI

Akrithi is the platform for online ethnic wear. Akrithi has some products of Shibori like dress
materials, kurtas etc. the price for one piece of Shibori tie and dye satin fabric price on
Akrithi website is RS. 380/meter.

KNOTS AND STRINGS

Knots and Strings is a Maharashtra based venture. The venture is famously known for its
wide range of Shibori products. Knots and String mainly makes shibori product by the
technique Arashi shibori technique and Itajme Shibori technique. The product line of the
venture is mainly focused on kurta and dress materials, home living, sarees, kaftan tops and
dresses, t-shirts, skirts, bags and purses. The price of this all products varies from 1000 to
3000 Rs. The price of bed sheets is 1200 Rs. And for kurta material and dupatta range
between 700 to 1000 RS. Apart for outlet knots and strings also sells its products online. It
also provides the facility of making customize orders and orders as per customer’s
requirement.

CARTER SMITH

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For over 49 years Carter Smith has been creating shibori fabrics that have been exhibited in
galleries and museums around the world. His one of a kind hand dyed skills and original bias
designs create unique and timeless garments that truly support and enhance the beauty of
every woman who wears them.

SHIKHA GUPTA

Shikha Gupta is a Vadodara based designer. She displayed her shibori products in her 2017
summer collection. She does her marketing mainly through social media (Instagram,
Facebook). For reaching maximum local customers she hiers local fashion blogger. She also
does one to one marketing.

SOME RELATABLE PERSONALITIES:

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 1. Vera Wang (Shibori bedding products)

2. Ralph Lauren (swim trunks and clothing)

3. Eileen Fisher

4. Levi’s (Shibori inspired jeans)

5. Oriana DiNella

6. Issey Miyake’s

7. Yoshikto Iwamoto Wada (Brooklyn )

8. Hiroyuki Missare (family company SUZUSAN dealing in Shibori products since

more than 100 years and 5th generation of the family is now currently handling the
company.

E-COMMERCE WEBSITES THAT SELL SHIBORI

E-commerce market is very prevalent in all over the world today. Any firm to be
maximizing its profit needs to update itself to the e-commerce market by some or the
other way. Some of the famous e-commerce website Shibori products are as follow:

FABRICLORE

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The fact that Fabriclore adds 1,700 new designs every day should give you an idea of how
maddening this place is. This Jaipur-based brand has batik, shibori, checks etc. This website
mainly concentrates on selling ethic wear. In Shibori, this website specifically sells dupattas
and unstitched material.

J.CREW

J.CREW is an American brand which shells shibori in a different ways i.e. it makes blazers,
skirts, caftan etc.

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URBAN OUTFITTERS

This website includes shibori in home accessories, bags etc. A large variety of product
line in terms of shibori can be seen in this website.

Jacquard's DIY Indigo + Shibori Tie-Dye Kit lets you experience the ancient process of
dyeing with Indigo - a natural, plant-based dye that's a beautiful shade of blue.

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AJIO

Apart from an amazing indie collection, we were surprised to find a whole bunch of running
fabrics at Ajio. The collection here mainly lends itself to good ethnic wear when it comes to
shibori.

IKOTARI

An online store which mainly sells Shibori in fabric. It has partnered up with various
fabric stores like Textiles & Crafts,Fabart Stoles & Scarves, and Last Forest etc.

PARISERA

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Parisera also has an impressive range of running fabrics. From classy hand-woven ikats to
summery printed cottons, this one’s for people who like investing in quality. It mainly sells
sarees of shibori.

DISCERN LIVING.

Shibori and indigo wallpapers at home:

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.michaelsilks.com/shibori_about.html)

https://www.wanderingsilk.org/single-post/2016/07/29/Textiles-360%C2%B0-Shibori-
Bandhani

https://www.adored1.com/blogs/news/42353409-indigo-tie-dye-its-not-tie-dye-shibori-
explained
art and craft sector in india and about tie and dye.docx

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