LwW Loves: Ikkat Notebook

Photo Credits and Copyright: All photos have been taken by Gayatri Kumar and belong to Look who's Wearing (LwW)

LwW is loving Ikkat, a traditional Indian printing technique. Its mostly found on clothing like Sarees or handloom products like silk and cotton. Its mainly a dyeing technique, sort of like a tie-dye. The difference between them however, is that in a tie-dye process the fabric is woven first and then dyed, while in Ikkat work the threads are bound and dyed first and then woven into the fabric. Ikkat work is very common in India but you will find versions of the Ikkat process in other Asian and some South-American countries as well. 

In India, Ikkat work is mostly a cottage industry, ie, very small scale industries mostly produced and sold by village artisans. 

Ikkat work has been taking the world by storm. You can now find Ikkat prints on bags, cushions and even notebooks. I found this notebook in Fabindia and fell in love at first sight. It has great colors and is a painted impression of an Ikkat print.   

LwW is also loving some other Ikkat stuff:

This Ikkat bag.

Great article about Ikkat work, how its dying out and the need to bring it back to the market.

A lovely Ikkat print dress at Miss Selfridge.

Pink and Orange Ikkat fabric.

Ikkat sofa-chair.

Bright runners (pink and orange) for an Indian-themed wedding (why not?).

Ikkat oxfords by Anthropologie.

Bright ikkat sneaks by Urban Outfitters.