With its diverse and vast cultural heritage, India has always contributed to bring traditions to the forefront. Modernization and globalization has not been a deterrent to the roots Indians love and have always been loyal to. Indian clothings and attires are a very apt reflection of the same. Western wear does have its fair share of users and popularity, but nothing beats the aura and warmth of the Indian attires. Sarees and especially silk sarees are the best example of how much Indians love their traditional wear, so much so, that they have made sarees, kurtis, etc. popular worldwide and the westerners are also taking interests in trying their hand at it.
When we think of sarees and the different kinds of sarees available out there, one special kind definitely comes to mind if you are a saree enthusiast or someone with good taste in sarees- the Ikkat Silk sarees. Yes, the name brings to the mind an image of sweet diamond-like shaped designs with maybe paisley patterns, which do look like simple humble prints from afar or in pictures, but are so much more than that. The “ikkat-style” is in fact not a print at all, but rather a pattern that is developed by a complex weaving style, where specially dyed threads are used to create the effect we all seem to recognise and are fond of. So, to put it very simply, Ikkat is a textile art using tie-dye technique.
The history of this art and Ikkat Silk sarees:
Ikkat Silk sarees are such a prominent type in Indian markets and enjoys such a fandom, some of you would be amazed to learn, this style did not even origin in India. Although the exact origin of the style hasn’t yet been found, but this style of textile has often been found in many different parts of the world apart from India. One school of belief says, as the term ‘Ikkat’ has in fact a Malay-Indonesian origin, where it is used to describe a bundle of threads or yarn, the art could have Indonesian roots.
The Ikkat weaving style seen on Ikkat Silk sarees are such a special style that have a long history of being developed and used in different South-east Asian countries and later on, due to colonisation of these countries, the art even travelled to the far west. In India itself, there have been found evidence of Ikkat patterns existing, dated as far back as 7th century CE. The Ikkat Silk sarees that we see and wear here in India has its own individualism and unique tones, as do the Ikkat in every other culture it travelled to. It has been adopted and adapted to suit the regional, cultural and traditional ways of the place.
Making of the Ikkat Silk sarees:
The variation can come from every single process that goes into making of the Ikkat Silk sarees. Dyeing the fabric threads, weaving the fabric so as to develop the desired patterns- it is a signature style that brings out the best of the best Ikkat Silk sarees. The Ikkat technique in itself allows a lot of space for variations and effects. But the end-result is that the Ikkat Silk sarees are always very sober and sophisticated in their manner that one simply can not miss. The Ikkat Silk sarees are made from developing patterns using resist-dyeing method similar to bandhni and batik effects. But unlike these two, Ikkat Silk sarees are unique in the fact that the design-basis is formed right in the yarn instead of being in the fabric. The value of the Ikkat Silk sarees depends on the intricacy of the design it has. Another unique factor is that once the yarn is weaved and the designs are formed, they are of blurry quality, which is rather representative of the “purity” or authenticity of the Ikkat Silk sarees, although the designs on Ikkat Silk sarees is still sharper than the ones that is developed on fabrics like cotton.
Knowing the history of Ikkat Silk sarees should just make you feel all the more interested and invested in finding the best Ikkat Silk sarees online where you can check out various patterns, colors and designs to opt from. Buying Ikkat Silk sarees online is such a simple process nowadays and offers you the array of options and convention, that you would be spoilt for choice. Buy Ikkat Silk sarees and be ready to flaunt an universally popular fabric style wherever you choose!
