Block Printing in India

Exciting news! Our Summer 2017 collection launched yesterday and is now available to shop. Actually, we are offering a Mother's Day discount through this Sunday; get 30% off everything on our website using the code MOTHERSDAY30 at checkout.

This collection's fabrics were sourced from India and we stuck to raw silks and super soft cottons for summer wear. One of the cotton fabrics is block printed in the traditional Indian custom. In fact, India has been known for block printing since the early 18th century when the method took its roots in Gujarat and then spread to Rajasthan. In Rajasthan, colorful prints of birds, animals, human figures, gods and goddesses are popular. The important centers for this form of hand printing are Jaipur, Bangru, Sanganer, Pali and Barmer. The fabric from our garments were printed and dyed in Jaipur.

We used the block printed fabric in both our pants and our caftan. The cotton is ultra soft and drapes so beautifully. These are garments you will look and feel great in!

The block printing process takes about 10 to 15 days to complete. First, the raw fabric is washed to remove any starch and then it is gently bleached. The blocks for printing are made of teak by trained professionals. Each color is printed separately to avoid mixing. The cotton fabric is pulled taught during the printing process and fastened with pins to avoid wrinkles. The artisans start with the border of the piece of fabric and work their way inward. After the printing is complete, the cloth is hung in the sun to dry and prepared for its final wash.

Below is a series of images from our vendor that showcases the block printing process. If you invest in one of these two garments, this is where it came from!