10 things we love about banana fabric

eco friendly fabrics

10 things we love about banana fabric

1 . Recycled BY PRODUCT

Billions of tonnes of banana stems are thrown away every year. Weaving fabric from the stem fibres is a logical solution to the waste created after harvesting the bananas.

2 . creates RURAL work

Making banana fabric creates rural and local work for communities. Farming, crushing, retting, spinning and weaving are just some of the jobs created by growing the crop.

3 . Chemical Free

No polluting resources are consumed during the entire production process, making it super ecological. Bananas growing in the tropics especially, need no chemical aids to increase growth.

4 . Super Soft

Banana fabric is soft to touch, comfortable and lightweight to wear.

5 . low environmental impact

Banana production is almost completely carbon neutral. Growing in natural sunlight nearby local rivers means little water usage and no energy intensive hot-housing is required. The discarded stems are processed into fabric using non polluting manual looms.

6 . not labour intensive

In order to create banana fabric requires a lot of manual work, however the crushing and retting of the crop is not as intensive as it is for bamboo and hemp fibres. This makes it quicker to produce the finished fabric.

7 . A natural shine

Banana fabric glistens and owns a natural shimmer, making it a beautiful alternative to silk.

8 . naturally biodegradable and vegan

Banana fabric has no negative impact on any life on earth and eventually returns back into the ground after being enjoyed as a piece of clothing for years and years.

9 . variety of fibre texture

Fibres extracted from the softer inner part of the stem can be woven into delicate, silk like fabrics. And fibres extracted from the courser outer side of the stem creates stronger and heavier fabrics for outerwear.

10 . highly durable

 Known to be one of the strongest natural fibres, made up of thick-walled cell tissue and bonded by natural gums. These fibres are so durable they can be made into currency notes to last 100 years, silk grade saris and can even be used in car tyres!

Meet Our Khadi Weavers

MEET OUR KHADI WEAVERS

Why is it so important to maintain traditional 
methods when making Khadi? 

Hand weavers and fabric makers of India have been revered since ancient times. These skilled people are known for the intricacy of their work and this would not be possible without keeping the traditional methods of handloom and hand spun fabric.

Khadi artisans, such as the Ali family in Kiwar, Moradabad, find the khadi process extremely beneficial to their community.

Ishrat liases with his relations to discuss, dye, spin and weave our khadi requirements. He works directly with his father, who has passed his skills unto his family, who now run the family business alongside him. Ishrat and his siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins all produce khadi fabrics in the same village down the road from one another, working together to spread the workload between dying, spinning, weaving and all the little steps in between.

Hand spun and hand woven natural fibre

The whole process does not require any electrical output, making it affordable to start production and work from home, creating rural work.

This means as a family, enough Khadi fabric can be made to live comfortably without overexertion and intense labour. With Ghandi repopularising Khadi and its traditional methods, it put Indian fashion back on the map after it had been lost during Colonial times. 

Khadi gives the Indian fashion industry a sense of individuality and allows these masters of their craft to create distinctive Khadi fabrics, not only an essential year round material but also an essential regular income.

How To Block Print

HOW TO Block Print

The Process

How to block print

The knowledge and expertise of natural dyes and mordants in Rajasthan is unparalleled, particularly with mordants, ensuring the brightest shades of colour are unfaded.

 These mordants include metallic salts which not only prevent the pigment to wear away, but actually create colour too. The quantities of mordants are only known unto the ‘dhobi’, a group of artisans who prepare and wash fabrics.

Using Teak wood, the carvers then soak the blocks in oil before chiseling delicate designs in open studios, in and around the villages. 

Block-printing-india-point-to-point-clothing
Collection-Point-to-point-clothing-eco-firendly-clothing-blouse-house

After being carved, the blocks are then dabbed onto handmade ink pads made from layers of cloth and pigment to start the printing process carried out by the ‘Chappanas’ (stampers). They stamp with a firm thump thump on top of the block to create a full and unbroken print on to the fabric.

The printing is carried out by eye and with such accuracy. Across the new textiles are giveaway signs of the human hand, neat imperfections,
 the unreplicable beauty of this craft.

Every part of the multistep process evolves amongst winding streets in ancient villages. But like many Indian villages, a lot of these are being engulfed by urbanisation from expanding nearby cities like Jaipur. However, these communities still live very traditionally, where society is structured accordingly to inherited roles and customs. India’s caste system is less apparent in cities, but villages like these still operate accordingly.

 

History of block printing

A Short History of block printing

Although the oldest wood block printed textiles were found in China dating before 220 AD, it was in Rajasthan where meticulous and intricately expressed designs developed further. 

history of block printing

Rajasthan has been home to the art of block printing for at least 450 years. The artisans or ‘chippas’ can trace back their teachings through the generations, from father to son, mother to daughter, and so on. Each generation works almost exactly as the one before, producing hundreds of meters of block printed textiles by hand in small villages.

These block printing villages have not always flourished as they do now. Having to withstand high demand for floral printed cottons in 1700’s England, at the same time as decking out the Maharajah and their courts, proved exhausting for these artisans. Furthermore, with the introduction of mass production in the West, meant Indian fabric exports were soon unsought after.  

By the 1970’s, the poverty of these communities became desperate when demand quickly turned to cheaper, roughly printed synthetics. 

However, this was not the death of an ancient craft. Around the same time as synthetics emerged, small artisan-dedicated businesses cropped up with a focus on preserving ancient craft techniques. It was with this movement that the artisans continued to value their work and practiced their craft as they always had. 

MASTERS OF BLOCK PRINTING ​Ethical stories Block-Printing-Clothing-Ethical
Organic Eco friendly Kite print
Block-printing-eco-friendly-natural-dyed-sustainable-womens-wear

10 things we love about lotus fabric

eco friendly fabrics

10 things we love about lotus fabric

Lotus fabric clothing ethical fabrics

1 . Uses 150 Times Less Water Than Organic Cotton.

Although organic cotton is a good choice when buying clothing and is more sustainable compared to synthetic fibres, this means that the water saved can be used where it is needed most.

2 . A Natural Microfibre

Known to be the world’s first natural microfibre, Lotus fabric
is extremely lightweight and breathable.

3 . Chemical Free

No polluting resources are consumed during the entire production process, making it super ecological.

4 . Super Soft

Lotus fabric is luxuriously smooth and silky to wear.

5 . Almost Wrinkle Free

No hard pressing or steaming is required to smooth out creases, they tend to drop out after hanging and little steam is required.

6 . Stain Resistant

Naturally occurring water repellent properties ensure
your clothes stay the colour they are meant to be.

7 . Recycled Waste Product

Whilst the Lotus flower is used for ceremonial celebrations, the stems are left in the water which would otherwise go to waste. Utilising the stems creates less waste and more sustainable clothing.

8 . Preserves Traditional Craft

Working with Lotus fabric creates rural work for artisans, and ensures the art lives on that has existed for centuries through generations of crafts people.

9 . A Sacred Flower

The plant on which the Buddha is seen sitting, Buddhists believe the Lotus symbolises wisdom and spirituality.

The plant is a metaphor that reflects every man and woman’s ability to surpass their current situation. No matter where they came from they can accomplish themselves, just as the lotus flower grows tall floating above the muddy waters.

10 . Naturally Biodegradable & Vegan

Lotus fabric has no negative impact on any life on earth and eventually returns back into the ground after being enjoyed as a piece of clothing.

Travel Diary Just Another Bump In The Road

JUST ANOTHER BUMP IN THE ROAD

We’d been to Shimla and had to travel to Chandigarh. We had already booked an Ola the day before. We decided to take a taxi because the trains were fully booked. We needed to get to Jaipur in time to check our garments.

Smooth sailing. I mean, it was breezy, easy and we were all excited-

Andy’s parents, Tim and Rose, had joined us to visit Shimla - Andy’s great Grandad was stationed in Shimla during the war as a medic. We were moving onto the next leg of our journey.

The first ten minutes we spent taking turns watching the dot that represented our Ola driver driving around, seemingly aimlessly, on the app were fun, at first. Sadly, it continued for about 45 minutes, and it definitely didn’t feel like a quick 45 minutes.

Minor hiccup.
But that’s ok.
It’s here, after all.
Our chariot awaits!

“Chandigarh?”
“Yes, Chandigarh.”
“Hooray. Let’s go!”

We were already moving before the last bottom hit its seat. I reached out for my seatbelt quickly - to strap myself in - it felt like this might be a bumpy ride. I turn to check and turn back - there aren’t any seatbelts, at all.

Our driver, for some reason has really started gunning in the time it’s taken me to orientate myself in the taxi. I don’t remember how fast we were going exactly. I felt queasy - it felt like 90 miles per hour.

We drove down a bumpy and rocky mountainside road, which, unluckily for us, wasn’t due for an upgrade - we learned - for some time still. It was the sort of road where corners regularly are only wide enough for one car on the road at a time.

The journey morphed into a subtle but tense silence. It could have been fear tinged with curiosity, but I felt compelled to steal a peak over the drivers shoulder.
I probably should have fought the urge off. The speedometer just flickered around wildly on the dashboard.

For the rest of the ride I decided I’d close my eyes.

The road was littered with potholes. It felt quite treacherous. I felt a heavy sudden movement and opened my eyes again. I know, I should have known better by that point. I found we were alongside a bus on the opposite side of the road.

A couple of deep breaths were audible and we seemed to be in the clear.
We made it -
BANG.
The car started to slow - the tyre had blown.

We all got out the car to have a look at the gigantic rip in the tyre. Our driver, thankfully, thought this not to be an issue whatsoever.

“No problem, I’ll change this and we’ll go, Ok?”.
He completed this task in what felt like 15 mins.

The ride continued for another hour. The tyre blowing hadn’t forced a rethink on the driving. Tim gave him a little sweetener as a tip for the tyre.

“Maybe he thought we were in a rush?"

We ‘d booked an Uber from Chandigarh to Jaipur four days prior to our Ola ride from hell and we had high hopes that our next ride would be, at least, an improvement on the first. We cram quickly into his car.

“To Jaipur, yeah?” "Let me have a look.”
He looked on his phone.
He’s still looking at his phone.
He turns to Tim and says -

“Jaipur?”
“Yes."
“Jaipur, Rajastan?”
“Yes.”

It was taking a while. We booked this four days ago. I wasn’t really sure what was going on. - Turns out that our new diver’s license wasn’t valid in Jaipur.

We emerge from the taxi slightly beleaguered. Suddenly, there’s a harem of taxi drivers swarming around us all. We had an idea of the price from what Uber would have cost. We compared that to what we were being quoted by our new prospective taxi drivers. We were eventually able to secure something expensive, but reasonable.

The journey from Chandigarh to Jaipur is about an 8 hour drive, usually. It was a bit of a relief for us all to get into the taxi. Two hours of the ride pass before any of us had a phone signal. I decided to check where we were.

Miraculously, I discover we’d been driving in the wrong direction. This had just become a 10 hour journey back to Jaipur.

We showed our driver by pointing to a map on our phone. Immediately he pulled a U’ey and we just pretended, probably for the best, that the whole thing just hadn’t happened. Our phone’s battery was perilously low, so we put the SIM card we acquired earlier in South India into Tim’s phone. Tim was able to keep the map open, for our drivers reference.

We’d been driving all day and it was starting to get dark. Things got very weird once we lost the light. All that became visible were the people driving with torches who were shining them off the back of their bull pulling a cart.

I wondered whether we were on the correct side of road. But, then another car would appear dead ahead again moments later. The lines are more advisory, it turns out.

Some time later distant smoke plumes appear - there had been a pretty serious accident up ahead of us. We did another U’ey on to a country road before finding another highway. Thankfully, Google maps found an alternative route with a slight off-road deviation. Admittedly, I just wanted to make sure we were going loosely in the right direction this time round.

It’s pitch black by the time we arrive in Jaipur. We weren’t able to find our hotel. We drove around and around in circles.

We eventually found where we thought it was. Our driver more or less took us right up to the door.

Once arrived at the hotel we basically had to wake the entire hotel up. Poor gent arrives keys in hand still buttoning up his shirt he’d clothed himself in at short notice, but was still basically naked.

The next day we were meeting the tailors, Cham to check stitching, finishing, the diligence to patterns being followed - the patterns. We’d printed in the south of India.




- Written by Howard Ghaus

The Best People Are Met By Chance

THE BEST PEOPLE ARE MET BY CHANCE

Story for eco friendly fabrics

Work on the second collection was coming to a close when a chance opportunity presented itself to meet a Khadi maker in India in late 2019. It was too good to take a pass on.

Or, was it?

Andy and I caught the 5am train to Moradabad so we’d arrive for 9am.

We didn’t go to bed until 11 the night before. We thought we had enough time to accomplish our objectives and be back in Delhi in time to travel on to Jaipur. We got up at four and were at the station with time to spare.

“Hi, It’s Alice - we’re here”
“Hello? Who is this?”
“It’s Alice. We’re here. Where are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“We arranged to meet. Remember?
Our train just arrived. Wondering where you are, or if you’re running late?”


There was a long pause

“Oh No! No-no-no-no! Oh God… I’m out of town”.
“ Erm, what?!”
“Yeah-I’m out of town”.
“But, we arranged to meet. Our train back to Delhi isn’t-”
“-Are you Indian?”.
“No. We’re from the UK”.
“Oh no! Terrible mistake. I’m so sorry Ma’am. One mom-”.


The line goes dead.

Fantastic. I’d never been to Moradabad. This was all new. By now a small, but not insignificant, crowd of onlookers had begun to form as enthralled as the visitors that stood before them.

The next train back was in three hours. Such short notice is not always quite so straightforward, as those who’ve travelled on India’s beautiful rail network will, no doubt, be aware.

The phone rings.

The man explains that the maker is going to meet us in his stead - he would meet us at a road junction an hour and a half away.

This was clearly not the ‘minor’ detour either of us were envisioning.

This was starting to look a little risky at this point.

A second-wind of enthusiasm carried us to a nearby ATM.

Great. The ATM is KO’d. Out of action.

At this point we honestly considered turning back. You know, maybe this isn’t supposed to be. Should we just cut our losses and turn back?

Stubbornness compelled me to phone the man again.

We’re going to get in this taxi, the driver knows where to drop us if you explain it to him. We have no cash - the ATM is broken here and we don’t know how we’re going to get back.

The man hesitated.

“…Ok. Don’t worry - I’ll pay the weaver back and he will drop you off later.”
“Ok. I mean, are you sure?
“Yes. Don’t worry Ma’am - all will be taken care of”.

I put the the phone down and turned to Andy.

We’re here now. Fuck it. Let’s go.

After this was confirmed we hopped in the taxi and proceeded to meander down a long road straddled with luscious green jungle on either side. An occasional community farmer could be seen tending to their land.

Traveling india by Car

We drove until the ride came to halt shortly after turning off a main road on to a dirt track. Here was an intersection, a shop or two and a patch of earth housing a handful of stray dogs whose intrigue had just been piqued.

After 20 minutes or so a car pulls up. A man emerges and introduces himself as Ali.
Ali ushers the pair to his car after paying for the taxi. Pleasantries are exchanged with the help of a little Google Translate.

At a brief pit stop cool fizzy drinks are acquired. Ali decided to make some calls.

Did he just read my mind? Did I just use telekinesis? Is this Uber?-If it was, it’s getting five stars. Personalised review. The works.

We arrived in Kiwar and were greeted by Ali’s whole family. The men greeted us and showed us through to find an array of snacks and drinks laid out. I rummaged through an array of ornate Khadi fabrics woven in varying thicknesses - A rug hewn with indigo and ruby red catches my eye displaying the raw qualities of the fibres.

Khadi Fabric
Drinks in india

We asked to see where everything was made.

It’s always a pleasure to marvel at the weaving itself. An uncle of Ali’s was weaving that day. But, we were not there solely to inspect the quality of the work. The processes are not unfamiliar to me. I understand what I’m looking for, from a technical point of view. We want to see the community, the lifestyle people enjoy, the conditions in which work is being undertaken and ensure people are being treated fairly.

As part of the impromptu tour we met several aunties of Ali’s. We showed them some of the pictures of our recent work. We sort of swapped and they showed us some of the things they had been working on recently.

Hand weaving the fabric

Ali’s English seemed to be getting better as the environment became more relaxed as if some dormant knowledge had been reawakened. We agreed to work together and after saying our goodbyes to everyone, the three of us drove back to Moradabad.

By this point I was starving - we ordered Thali and Chana Masala with a side of giant Bhatoori for the table and broke bread.

The train chugged slowly from evening into night as we drifted back to Delhi, the tribulations of the day almost at a close.

I found an article in a newspaper. I have it to this day. It describes the life of the railway and the people whose lives are intimately connected to its life.

“…There is this damned tiger that turns up every two or three days after the last night train departs at 11pm…he will hang out below that lamp at the far end of the platform.”

I suppose the tiger was at least one tribulation we managed to avoid that day.



- Written by Howard Ghaus

Night train to Mala

NIGHT TRAIN TO MALA

A great read we found in the newspaper on our train journey from Moradabad to Delhi.

Eye Sunday Express, The Back Page
October 20, 2019

Masters of Block Printing

history of block printing

Masters of Block Printing

A Short History of Block Printing

Although the oldest wood block printed textiles were found in China dating before 220 AD, it was in Rajasthan where meticulous and intricately expressed designs developed. 

Rajasthan has been home to the art of block printing for at least 450 years. The artisans or ‘chippas’ can trace back their teachings through the generations, from father to son, mother to daughter, and so on. Each generation works almost exactly as the one before, producing hundreds of meters of block printed textiles by hand in small villages.

These block printing villages have not always flourished as they do now. Having to withstand high demand for floral printed cottons in 1700’s England, at the same time as decking out the Maharajah and their courts, proved exhausting for these artisans. Furthermore, with the introduction of mass production in the West, meant Indian fabric exports were soon unsought after.  

By the 1970’s, the poverty of the these communities became desperate when demand quickly turned to cheaper, roughly printed synthetics. 

However, this was not the death of an ancient craft. Around the same time as synthetics emerged, small artisan-dedicated businesses cropped up with a focus on preserving ancient craft techniques. It was with this movement that the artisans began valuing their work and continued to practice it in the original way. 

MASTERS OF BLOCK PRINTING ​Ethical stories Block-Printing-Clothing-Ethical
Organic Eco friendly Kite print
Block-printing-eco-friendly-natural-dyed-sustainable-womens-wear

The Process

The knowledge and expertise of natural dyes and mordants in Rajasthan is unparalleled, particularly with mordants, ensuring the brightest shades of colour are unfaded. These mordants include metallic salts which not only prevent the pigment to wear away, but actually create colour too. The quantities of mordants are only known unto the ‘dhobi’, a group of artisans who prepare and wash fabrics.

Using Teak wood, the carvers then soak the blocks in oil before chiseling delicate designs in open studios, in and around the villages. 

After being carved, the blocks are then dabbed onto handmade ink pads made from layers of cloth and pigment to start the printing process carried out by the ‘Chappanas’ (stampers). They stamp with a firm thump thump on top of the block to create a full and unbroken print on to the fabric.

The printing is carried out by eye and with such accuracy. Across the new textiles are giveaway signs of the human hand, neat imperfections,
 the unreplicable beauty of this craft.

Every part of the multistep process revolves amongst winding streets in ancient villages. But like many Indian villages, a lot of these are being engulfed by urbanisation from expanding nearby cities like Jaipur. However, these communities still behave in an ancient way, where society is structured accordingly to inherited roles and customs. India’s caste system is less apparent in cities, but villages like these still operate according to it.

 

Naturally dyed master block master
ethical slow fashion
How to block print

Our Block Printers

We work with a small family business in Bagru, Rajasthan. These artisans have been teaching their children for decades, and still carry out the skill in exactly the same way as before. Hours are flexible, particularly for women, who have young children at home. Their business is run on the top floor of their home, where lengths of printed fabrics can hang to dry from the rooftop in the sunshine.

Mohan

Our colour master, Mohan, is surrounded by buckets of coloured inks and pigments, mixing by hand every shade. He carries out several swatches before committing to the final colour, matching the colour chart. Mohan uses natural dyes when possible, otherwise he uses azo-free and water based inks to
achieve brighter and more specific shades.

Om Brakash

Our master stamper and wood carver, Om Brakash, is incredibly precise and attentive to his work. He overlooks other stampers throughout the day, men and women who come and go, changing over each day.  


We love visiting our block printers, until next time!

History of Khadi Fabric

A SHORT History of Khadi Fabric

Khadi is a material that many people in the West may not have heard of, but in India it is one of the most prominent and widely used materials in clothing. 

Khadi fabric has been around in some form since ancient Vedic times (5000BC), but has been particularly fashionable in India since 1990. It first came to real prominence during the Swadeshi Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi as a native dress material, after falling into obscurity during Colonial times. 

Gandhi brought the importance of hand woven material back into the limelight, thus creating more rural and self sustaining work for those with less access to the city. Known for its durability, it is a diverse material that can be worn in both summer and winter. Due to Khadi’s ability to be woven with any natural fibre means the fabric can be produced across India, where different crops depend on a particular climate.    .  

 
History of hand woven
Khadi Fabric
Hand spun and hand woven natural fibre

How is Khadi Fabric made?

The fibres are hand spun on a manual machine called a ‘charka’ and this method means the fibres are much softer and natural, again giving the crucial feel
and texture to the Khadi material. 

Hand weaving the fabric by combing the lengths, the warp, and widths, the weft,
of the material is also carried out manually without using any electrical equipment to
keep the process affordable, traditional and accessible.

Hand weaving the fabric
Fabric