Collection: Bandhani

Bandhani is a type of tie and dye textile, decorated by plucking the cloth with the fingernails into many tiny bindings that form a figurative design. Earliest evidence of Bandhani dates back to Indus Valley Civilization, where dyeing was done as early as 4000 B.C. The earliest example of the most pervasive type of Bandhani dots can be seen in the 6th century paintings depicting the life of Buddha found on the wall of Caves at Ajanta. It was believed that wearing a Bandhani saree brings good future to a bride.

Bandhani tying is often a family trade, and the women of the families work at home to tie patterns. A meter length of cloth can have thousands of tiny knots. Dyeing is also done manually and hence best colours and combinations are possible. Natural colour used in Bandhani are yellow, red, blue, green and black. Though made in various regions, the Bandhani from the Bhuj region is very intricate, and in bright hues as the water of this area is known to give a particular brightness to colours.

A very special technique used in the Bandhani Collection of Twenty Nine is ‘Raidaana Bandhani’, very finely tied with hands and dyed manually using natural vegetable colors by national award winning artisans from Bhuj, Gujrat.

Natural variations in colour and weave are characteristic of the handcrafted process we patronize