Traditional textiles around the world represent a lot more than some pieces of fabrics with various designs. They represent its place of origin's history, traditions and the weavers' skills and effort. They carry with them the rich cultural heritage of a place. So if you are curious about the famous textiles from different parts of the world, we have made a compilation for you with some interesting insights on them.
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Velvet: Velvet is a really soft woven fabric with cut threads distributed evenly with short dense piling effect. Its shining appearance, softness and high production cost made it a fabric reserved mainly for royalty and nobles. Kashmiri merchants first introduced this luxurious fabric to Baghdad. Cairo was the largest producer of velvet for a long time. From there, it was exported to Venice and eventually it was spread throughout most of Europe. That's how velvet gradually gained popularity worldwide. This kind of fabric can be made from various different kinds of fabrics and among them, the most famous is silk. Silk velvet looks the most luxurious and hence it's the most expensive one. Modern day silk velvet is basically a mixture of silk and rayon. Cotton is also used to make velvet but its appearance lacks the sparkle of silk ones. There are various types of velvets ranging from lightweight chiffon to embossed fabric with intricate patterns.
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Peruvian textiles: Famous Peruvian textile is one of the native American textiles with soft woolen fabrics with detailed pallay ('designs' in Quechua). These pallay or designs are often of various elements of nature or things which inspire the artisans. That's why these designs are unique in each region depending on the artisan's style. Each region's fabric tells a different story. Traditional Quechua weaving is famous for its bright colors and vivid designs. The wool used to weave the fabric comes from alpaca, llama and vicuna. The dense fleece of the alpaca makes really soft fibers which are durable and have high thermal qualities. If you are interested in purchasing some authentic Peruvian textiles, then take a look at our Shaman Luna products. We have beautiful Shipibo Tribal Fabric, Andean Ribbons, Alpaca Shawl, Peruvian Sweaters, Peruvian Belts in our store for you to take a look at.
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Tartan: Tartan is a kind of fabric with criss-cross pattern with various horizontal and vertical patterns in different colors. This fabric originated from Scotland to specifically differentiate clans or organizations on the battlefield. Their traditional garment, Scottish kilts almost always had tartan patterns. Initially Tartan was only woven with wool, but not anymore. Nowadays tartan patterns are woven with all kinds of materials. This fabric gained significance during the nineteenth century when Highland clans revived the trend of using tartan again. It gave birth to the modern plaid patterns which are so commonly found and worn around the world.
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Kalamkari textile: This is an Indian textile originating from Andhra Pradesh where you hand-print or block-print intricate patterns on shawls. These shawls are made of cotton and have vivid colors with great texture. The designs printed here often hold religious significance. Buffalo milk is often used while weaving this fabric to prevent the natural dyes from fading. So these shawls often smell faintly of buffalo milk which is a unique charm. Another unique charm of kalamkari shawl is its slight imperfections owing to it being handmade. But these imperfections only enhance the beauty of the craft even more. If you are interested in some beautiful Indian textile, then take a look at our Designer Shawl.
Designer Kalamkari Shawl $59.99
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Yuzen silk: Yuzen silk is a famous textile of Japan. Yuzen silk is a fabric which is dyed with an unique resist-dyeing technique. Miyazaki Yuzensai first established this technique in the 18th century and current artisans hold the tradition proudly. In this method, rice paste is used as wax to paint vivid patterns on the fabric to avoid repetitive designs. Then the fabric is painted with dye and areas with the pasted patterns resist the dye. That's how Yuzen silk is produced which is full of large, intricate pictorial images. This kind of fabric is most famous for being used in making the traditional Japanese garment, Kimonos. Kimonos made from Yuzen silk are not only for formal occasions but also often being used in casual outings.
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Suzani textile: The word 'Suzan' means needle. Suzani textile means a kind of tribal textile with rich embroidery and decorations. It originates from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and various other central Asian countries. The vibrant color and delicate designs of the fabric relay a lot of interesting stories of the creators. For this textile, cotton is the most common material to use. But sometimes silk is used as well. The drawing is first drawn on cotton and then the embroidery takes place with narrow looms. Suzani fabric is used in various different ways. It can be used as rugs, throw-blankets over a sofa or as a luxurious bedspread. The beautiful designs always catch the eyes of the visitors.
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Kantha textile: It is one of the most treasured textiles of Indian heritage. Kantha stitching first started in West Bengal and Bihar centuries ago. Here rural, thrifty women started recycling their old sarees and dhotis and started layering them and weaving blankets from the accumulated scrap fabric. Nowadays, kantha embroidery is no longer limited to blankets. It is used for various garments such as sarees, dupattas, bedding and rugs. There are generally two kinds of Kantha - Lepkantha and Sujni Kantha.
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Pashmina shawls: One of the world's most luxurious and fine fabrics is the renowned Pashmina shawls. It originates from the Changthang region of Ladakh. The wool collected from the exotic cashmere goats of this region is mainly used to weave Pashmina shawls. That's why these shawls are soft, delicate and extremely warm. The fine and detailed embroidery over them only increases the beauty and elegance of the fabric. And because the fleece required for pashmina shawls is so rare, each piece is very expensive and treated as a luxurious item.
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Batik print textile: Batik is a wax resist-dyeing technique which originated from the island of Java of Indonesia. The inland print was done by experts with intricate patterns but limited colors. And the coastal print could be done by any craftsmen. The coastal prints were less intricate but more vibrant in terms of colors. From Indonesia, batik print's popularity spread throughout all the Asian countries pretty quickly. And that's how it has now become a certified cultural heritage of Indonesia acknowledged by UNESCO.
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Kuba clothes: Kuba clothes are traditional African garments. We find its first trace in history from the 17th century. Kuba clothes came from the Kuba kingdom of central Africa. Raffia palm fibers are used to make these clothes. The designs represent the traditional African culture really well.
