The crafts behind the clothes

Stories

17 stories

• Style guide

  Gujarat and Rajasthan, Rajasthan

  Chaniya choli, lehenga, ghagra: what the words mean

  Three names for a skirt and blouse, three regions, and the details that make one a Garba outfit and another a wedding one.

• Style guide

  Bengal to everywhere, West Bengal

  10 Uses of Jute Fabric in Fashion and Home Textiles

  Sarees, kurtis, jackets, bags, footwear, rugs, curtains, cushions, packaging and geotextiles: what jute fabric is used for, and which weave suits each.

• Fabric & print

  Bengal and the flax belt, West Bengal

  Jute vs Linen: Which Should You Choose?

  Both come from a plant stem, both crease, both breathe. Linen is finer and dearer; jute is stronger, cheaper and more textured. Where each belongs.

• Sarees

  Nadia and Hooghly districts, West Bengal

  Jute Silk Fabric: What It Is and How It Is Made

  Most "jute sarees" are jute silk: jute yarn woven with silk or art silk. How the blend is made, what to look for, and why it became the daytime handloom saree.

• Style guide

  At home, West Bengal

  How to Wash and Care for Jute Fabric

  Cold water, no wringing, shade, and a cloth under the iron. The full jute fabric care routine for sarees, kurtis, bags and rugs, and the mistakes that ruin them.

• Sarees

  Across India

  Eight sarees and where they come from

  Banarasi, Kanjivaram, Paithani, Chanderi, Kota, Sambalpuri, Bandhani, Patola: the region behind each, and what to look for when you buy one.

• Fabric & print

  Ganga delta, West Bengal

  Is Jute Fabric Sustainable?

  Rain-fed, pesticide-light, carbon-absorbing and biodegradable — but retting and blends complicate the picture. What sustainable jute fabric really means.

• Sarees

  Patan, Gujarat

  Patola: the double ikat of Patan

  The saree that takes months to weave and is priced like a car. What double ikat means, why Patan is the only place that does it, and how to tell it from a Rajkot patola.

• Fabric & print

  Ajrakhpur and Dhamadka, Kutch, Gujarat

  Ajrakh: the indigo block print of Kutch

  Sixteen steps, natural indigo and madder, and weeks of work. Where ajrakh comes from, how it is printed, and why the colours only get better.

• Fabric & print

  Bengal and the cotton belt, West Bengal

  Jute vs Cotton: Which Fabric Is Better?

  Cotton is soft, jute is strong; cotton drinks water, jute grows on rain. Where each wins, and why the answer for clothing is usually both.

• Fabric & print

  Hooghly and the Ganga delta, West Bengal

  Jute Fabric: The Complete Guide

  What jute fabric is, where it comes from, how it is made, its types, properties, uses, benefits, how it compares with cotton and linen, and how to care for it.

• Fabric & print

  Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur, Rajasthan

  Leheriya: the wave-striped cloth of Rajasthan

  Diagonal stripes made by rolling and tying cloth before dyeing. Where leheriya is made, what mothra is, and why it is a monsoon colour.

• Embroidery & craft

  Saurashtra and Kutch, Gujarat

  Gamthi Work: the village embroidery behind the Garba choli

  Gamthi means "of the village". Where the word comes from, what makes a choli or koti gamthi, and how it differs from Kutchi work.

• Embroidery & craft

  Jaipur and Udaipur, Rajasthan

  Gota Patti: the gold ribbon work of Rajasthan

  The leaf-shaped gold appliqué on a chaniya choli is gota patti, a court craft from Rajasthan. What it is made of, how it is cut, and how to keep it bright.

• Fabric & print

  Kutch and Jamnagar, Rajasthan

  Bandhani: the tie-dye of Gujarat and Rajasthan

  Thousands of tiny hand-tied knots, one dye bath at a time. How bandhani is made, the patterns to know, and why the knots are often left in.

• Embroidery & craft

  Kutch, Gujarat

  Kutchi Embroidery: the mirror work of Kutch

  Where the dense, mirrored embroidery on a Navratri choli comes from, which communities stitch it, and how to tell hand work from machine.

• Style guide

  Shela, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

  What Is Haggler Studio?

  A women’s fashion studio in Shela, Ahmedabad, that sells Chaniya Choli and everyday wear, stitches to your measurements, and alters what you already own — all of it on WhatsApp.