Tag: indian craft

HandPainted Juttis by Haelli – An example of Vibrant Indian Heritage

When I stumbled across The Haelli – a brand that creates beautiful, handcrafted Juttis – I knew I was in love. The Jutti is a type of leather shoe that originated in the north of India; however, today, they are hugely popular across the country. What makes Juttis from The Haelli different, however, is the fact that they are hand painted in India and completely customizable.

Haelli-Jutti The designs are inspired by the rich, vibrant heritage of India – you will see this influence in everything from the painted patterns to the bright colour palettes that are incorporated into the design of the Juttis. The end result? Footwear that combines the best traditional symphony and contemporary style – it’s elegant, it’s quirky and it’s downright fashionable.

As you can imagine, the Juttis by The Haelli are incredibly fun to style. You can use them to brighten up a monochrome outfit, wear them with a flirty dress for the summertime, or team them with an equally vibrant scarf for a serious style statement.Haelli-Jutti-2I selected the ‘Morpankhi Feather Painted Juttis In Bright Fuchsia’ for their lovely, vibrant colour. I started by pairing them with a deep blue, bird printed dress. The fauna-inspired print feels fresh and is absolutely perfect for the warm weather. I threw on a nautical-style striped jacket for some extra cover. I am totally feeling big, bold stripes this season – they are on-trend and super easy to pair with anything and everything! Plus, mixing prints makes for a very interesting, quirky look. The trick is to mix prints that are completely different and either perfectly complement or completely contrast each other in terms of colour. I opted to work with prints that fell into the white and blue colour scheme, throwing on a spotted scarf to finish off my look. This ensemble is perfect for a warm afternoon spent shopping with your girlfriends, strolling through the park or simply running errands while looking chic.
Haelli-Jutti-4

I love the vibrant pop of colour that the Juttis bring to the muted colour palette. Definitely a great way to add some oomph to your summertime style!

You can find these Juttis here https://ekatrra.com/designer/the-haelli-by-neha. These products are also available at Ambaar, 50, Fashion street, Shahput Jat, New DelhiHaelli-Jutti-5

Hand Block Printing – A Timeless Craft Revisited

Block printing is an ancient printing technique used on cloth and textiles to make beautiful patterns. The origins of hand block printing are believed to lie in China, where the technique was first used around the 3rd century. However, with time, as travelers from China travelled to India and other parts of Asia, the technique was picked up artisans in these parts as well.

According to written records, the technique has been practiced in India since the 12th century. Hand block printing is a technique where blocks of wood are used for making intricate patterns on cloth. Patterns are etched onto wood with the help of needle. These wooden blocks are then dipped in a dye and pressed onto the cloth to imprint the pattern on them.

Traditionally, the dyes used for this purpose were natural vegetable dyes. However, with the advent of synthetic dyes, the use of natural dyes has been limited to very few regions in India. Like every other traditional art form, hand block printing too was on the verge of extinction not long ago.

However, with efforts from various organizations and larger exposure of this art form to the outside world, this technique of cloth printing is slowly seeing a revival of sorts. One of the regions in India which is pioneering the revival of hand block printing is Rajasthan.

There are various regions in Rajasthan where this traditional technique is alive and well. Each of these regions have a different flavor of their own, although they use basically the same hand block printing technique.

Some notable regions in Rajasthan which are well known for producing some really fine pieces of hand block printed sarees and other garments are Sanganeri, Bagru and Dabu. In fact, it is in Bagru, Rajasthan that artisans still use natural vegetable dyes in their printing technique.

Apart from that vital difference, there is another difference which you are likely to find between the three regions- while Bagru artisans use neutral tones such as brown, beige etc. for hand block printing, those in Sanganeri use much brighter colors as their base.

As for Dabu, the artisans here use a slightly different technique than the other two regions. Here, a design is sketched on a cloth which is used as a background. Clay and saw dust is sprinkled on the design which then dries and sticks to the cloth. Thereafter, the entire cloth is dipped in different colored dyes. The part where the clay was sprinkled does not get dyes while the rest of the fabric does. To finish the process, the cloth is washed to get rid of the clay and saw dust.

Trends today

A Hand Block Printed Dress by Anokhi (www.anokhi.com)With this traditional technique seeing a revival today, Indian designers are already experimenting with it to create interesting patterns and designs. A whole range of block printed sarees were on display as the recently concluded Lakme Fashion Week 2012. In fact, it was not just sarees on display. There were hand block printed skirts and tops as well, with an interesting mix of fabrics.

Try a hand block printed skirt with vibrant patterns for a bohemian look. For something more subdued, try a pleated skirt in off-white with hand block prints in a similar tone.

 

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