Ikkat is perhaps one of the most soulful of tie and dye crafts that dates back to thousands of years to the rural households in Gujarat, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.
Ikkat is a textile art wherein patterns are created by resist dyeing cotton and/or silk yarn before they are woven. Ikkat is similar to tie and dye in regards to the use of resist dyeing to produce elaborate patterns. There are numerous designs in ikkat, extending from straightforward symmetrical themes to geometric shapes to unique zoomorphic.
Surender C. is one such kaarigar that has worked on this handloom type craft since the mere age of seven. His work on ikkat sarees- since childhood-traces down to all the moments in his life, or how he calls it ‘My Saree Is My Story’. As Luxurion World engages in a conversation with him, he talks about the various difficulties faced in the manufacturing and hand weaving such sarees- begins with the financial requirements and burdening taxes. Perhaps one of the most prominent technical issues would be the settling of proper colors and blending of proper colours on the material. Evidently, making tie and dye sarees like Ikkat is a play of the right skills and patience. He describes a kind of Ikkat saree ’narikunjar’ sarees as one of the most complex works as it is arduous to set the color and tougher reverse mistakes on white cloth.
Surender believes in the handicraft and thus has transcended all difficulties and come to work for Luxurion World to produce premium quality sarees, that are culturally intricate and fashionably detailed.
For more such weaver's stories visit www.luxurionworld.com