Writing a fashion post after a long time. Wore these “Ikat” saris today – both from different states in India. The blue one is from Odisha and the silver/red one from Pochampally in Telangana.
“Ikat” is an Indonesian word, and this dyeing technique originated from there and is now practised in India primarily in Odisha (Sambalpur), Telangana and Gujarat (known as Patola).
In Ikat dyeing, the yarns or threads are first dyed (using resist dyeing) and then woven into a fabric, in contrast to other dyeing methods where the finished fabric is dyed.
Resist dyeing is a method in which the dye is prevented from reaching all the yarn or fabric using a barrier like wax, mud or starch. Tie and dye and batik are also examples of resist dyeing.
Ikat is a very difficult and time-consuming process and therefore a bit expensive. The less blurry and more intricate the pattern – the more time it takes. The “Patan Patola” from Gujarat is supposed to be the most intricate and hence the most expensive Ikat available in India.
Today I wore the Pochampally and Sambalpuri ones because I had them with me, hope to get a Gujarati Patola also sometime soon 🙂 🙂
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikat