Founded in 2009, the Injiri brand – which means something like true india means – is entirely focused on the development of textiles and the sustainable use of materials from across India, which perhaps more than any other country has long provided the fashion industry with exceptional handwoven textiles. But how much do we really know about these centuries-old techniques and how exactly these textiles are made? In this interview, the founder of Injiri, Chinar Farooqui, wants to contribute to expanding our knowledge of the artisan communities in her home country, where certain places are known for certain techniques.
Injiri is sold in 300 stores worldwide, including prestigious boutiques such as Dover Street Market in London and Japan and ABC Home in New York City. Injiri does not sell directly to end users, and only 50 to 100 pieces per model are made per season. That number doesn’t reflect the limited resources of artisans, explains Farooqui, as there’s an abundance of them in every field. Rather, it reflects their commitment to maintaining product quality, as coordinating with artisans spread across India can be a challenge.
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Farooqui describes the Injiri team as “a workshop of about 65 people”, but the foundation of the company is their close collaboration with the keepers of tradition, the Indian master weavers, embroiderers and dyers. Regardless of trends, she focuses on products that pay homage to slow fashion, timeless luxury and ultimately Indian tradition. She recalls that in ancient times, woven fabrics were a precious commodity that had to be used sparingly and that making clothes was a long process. She says her contemporary aesthetic is often influenced by the simplest of garments worn by farmers and common people.
Various centers of craft workshops across India are the basis for the success of the brand. For most textiles, several people work together, usually all within a family, and each has their area of expertise to bring the creations to life. Farooqui spoke to FashionUnited about the diverse locations behind the country’s most popular techniques and the unique characteristics of the craft hubs.
Jamdani from West Bengal
Jamdani weave, originally known as “Dhakai,” is one of the most time-consuming and labor-intensive forms of handloom weaving, but is considered one of the finest types of muslin. First named after the city of Dhaka, one of the many ancient centers of textile weaving in the pre-partition Bengal region, the Persian term “Jamdani” only became popular in the Mughal Empire. Jamdani consists of an additional weft technique woven alongside the standard weft that holds the warp threads together. The standard weft creates a delicate, sheer weave, while the extra weft adds intricate patterns with thicker threads. Each additional weft motif is added separately by hand by weaving the weft threads into the warp using fine bamboo rods and individual spools of thread. The pattern is not sketched or outlined on the fabric, but drawn on graph paper and placed under the warp. The result is a complex mix of different patterns that seem to float on a shimmering surface.
Chikankari from Lucknow, Madhya Pradesh
Translated from Urdu, “Chikankari” simply means embroidery. Specialists believe it evolved from the Shiraz white-on-white embroidery that came to India as part of the culture of the Persian nobles at the Mughal court. Delicate and artful hand embroidery, white threads are embroidered onto cool, pastel tones of light muslin, cotton and silk. The time-consuming process of making a chikankari piece can take anywhere from a few months to a few years, as the single-needle work is often done by women in between chores. The pattern is first hand stamped onto the fabric, then six basic stitches and over 35 other traditional stitches are used in various combinations depending on the pattern desired. Embroidery is often divided among the artisans, with groups of three or more specializing in a particular stitch. And when each group has completed their piece, the garment is passed on to the next group, which in turn applies their specialty stitch.
Pochampally Ikkat from Andhra Pradesh
Originating in the Indian silk city of Bodhan, the craft of Pochampally Ikkat involves dyeing silk threads and weaving these threads into traditional geometric patterns in the Ikkat style. Ikkat variations have long been part of ancient Indian weaving traditions and have earned the pochampally ikkat a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List for being iconic sari weaving patterns.
Traditionally woven from silk, the Pochampally Ikkat is time-consuming, passed down in the family, and survives in only a few villages, mainly in the Nalgonda District of Telangana State. Before weaving, the warp or weft threads, or both, are dyed to create patterns on the fabric that are set by a wrapping process. The warps are dyed and when they are unwound, the areas under the bindings have retained their original color. When placing the warp threads on the loom, care must be taken to keep all the threads in place for the pattern to work.
Bhudoji weaving from Gujarat
The Indian state of Gujarat has long been the gateway to the Indian subcontinent and a major commercial and educational center, with the sea on its left and a vast white desert on its right. The people there have preserved traditional crafts, including the Bhujodi, which is named after its textile center.
Mughal immigrants from Rajasthan over 500 years ago made woolen veils and coarse woolen blankets for the Rabari community to protect herdsmen in the fields from the elements. The blanket was worn either over the shoulder, around the waist or as a turban. Their modern-day descendants use wool from local sheep, but the yarn breaks in its raw form and tangles easily. Therefore, before use, the strands of wool must be soaked in a thin paste of boiled wheat or rice flour, dried in the sun in the fields, and then separated by combing. Traditionally, the men of the family do this while the women make the yarn on the charkha, place it on the loom and finish the product with the iconic abla embellishment.
Bandhani from Gujarat
The origins of the Bandhani dyeing technique, also known as Bandhej, can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization. It is one of the oldest methods of patterning fabric, the earliest example of which can be seen in 6th-century paintings of Buddha. Color is prevented from reaching parts of the fabric by tying them together, a process mainly performed by women. Pads or tracing paper with pinholes are used for complex designs. Tying the Bandhani pattern requires three basic tools: strong cotton thread, a glass tube to hold and tie the thread, and a thimble to pluck a tiny area for tying.
Tagai from Rajasthan
One of the many traditional handicrafts of Rajasthan is the jaipuri razai, the art of quilt making, traditionally made from hand-spun and hand-woven khadi and hand-linked cotton stuffing. The cold winter nights of Rajasthan inspired people out of necessity to topstitch bed covers and the age-old process has remained unchanged to this day. Dhunai, or carding, refers to the fluffing and cleaning of the cotton on a large, hoop-like wooden structure called a pindar. Then a layer of the carded raw cotton is applied to the sewn outer layer by hand and bamboo sticks. Finally, the fabric is turned inside out and tapped to evenly distribute the cotton before being sewn.
All images: Injiri.co.in
This is a translation of an English post by Jackie Mallon. Jackie Mallon teaches fashion in New York and is the author of ‘Silk for the Feed Dogs’, a novel set in the international fashion industry. Translation and editing: Simone Preuss