Textile Traditions of Gujarat
Textiles are one of the oldest craft form, a joyous child of aesthetic beauty and material need! “Adornment and ornamentation are intertwined with the whole fabric of rural life in Gujarat.” anonymous. Traditions of textiles in Gujarat have woven their way into the sheer dynamism of vibrantly colorful fabric of its people giving them a sense of identity and unique form. This craft form in Gujarat mirrors the topographical textures of the region and its design variations are a manifestation of clan and community characteristics. This Textile leagcy in the state has a chequered history dating back three thousand years to the Indus Valley Civilization. Years of migrations, conquests, and trade coupled with the ingenuity of the Gujarati craftsmen resulted in a vast variety of weaving, printing, painting and dyeing techniques. The craftsmen of Gujarat have a close affinity with nature and eulogize nature’s bounties in the design perception of their craft form. Textile traditions in Gujarat follow a variety of different styles, color, patterns and themes. The climatic and geographical conditions in Gujarat have been conducive for the growth of cotton thus facilitating the art of textiles as the premier craft from. A vast coastline and a thriving business community have ensured trade and migrations bringing about further evolutions and amalgamations within craft techniques. These added influences coupled with an intrinsic variant in styles have generated a tradition in textile which is vastly varied and all encompassing. The qualitative variants in traditions have energized and enervated a diversely successful contemporary textile market. Rural and urban designs enmesh to flower a patina of woven, printed, dyed and embellished fabrics across the state. This constantly evolving tradition spanning an entire stratum of society modeling its way from the ramps of fashion to the interior of homes and keeps incorporating contemporary requirements.