Artisan Clothing For Women? Just Ask Barbara

It started with a scarf.

Barbara found me because a woman she knew was wearing a Premaasi kantha scarf. She asked her about it, and then ordered three: one red and green for herself, two as gifts.

Here's what Barbara wrote at the time: 

"I couldn't take my eyes off the kantha scarf an acquaintance of mine was wearing. She told me about Premaasi where I learned about the art of textile weaving in India and that the products are made by low-income women artisans who hand stitch saris into unique reversible scarves and shawls. I had a hard time choosing and settled on three — one brightly colored red and green for myself and two others for gifts." 

Barbara's photographs, sent over the years. The Aranya Naturals silk kaftan, eco printed and reversible. The kantha sari shawl she gave her sister-in-law, standing beside her. The James Ferreira top, cut from a stole. Her obi tuck pants in charcoal and in colored checks. The hand block print shirt, once with a red bandhani scarf over it.

And then - the part that every person who loves giving beautiful gifts hopes for.

One of her friends opened her gift and found a soft yellow, green and black silk sari scarf inside.

As she put it:

“You should have seen the face of my girlfriend when she opened the exquisite bag containing her soft yellow, green and black silk sari scarf — truly priceless.”

I love that sentence.

Because it captures something I see again and again with these textiles. You can explain the technique. You can talk about the fabric, the stitching, the artisans and the history behind the work.

But sometimes someone simply sees a piece and knows.

It all started with a shawl / scarf, but now, Barbara buys mostly clothing. 

The photographs on this page and in the collage are hers, and I love looking at them. 

Why? Because she actually wears Premaasi pieces! And from what I know, so do the people who receive her gifts. 

Sometimes Barbara is wearing one Premaasi piece. Sometimes the entire outfit is Premaasi! 

She has her own way of putting everything together.

The Nakshi Kantha Scarf

This is my favorite of the images Barbara sent me. She looks stunning in that scarf embroidered in the nakshi kantha style, strikjing against her yellow top. This embroidery uses the kantha running stitch but in an illustrative pattern. Traditional motifs reflected birds, animals, floWERS and other aspects of daily life of the artisans. This scarf is a more modern rendition.  

 

This style of scarf in different motifs and colors has been one of my most popular. But each was one-of-kind and once they're gone they're gone. I hope to get more styles in soon.

For two stunning examples of this embroidery style see my two nakshi kantha robes here.

And stay tuned for more nakshi kantha scarves to come!

The Obi Pants 

Barbara has four or five pairs of obi tuck pants. Different colors, same pants.

In the image below she is wearing two: the colorful checks and a charcoal grey dyed in natural iron. 

They are handspun, handwoven cotton, cut wide through the leg and gathered at the ankle. She wears the charcoal pair with a Premaasi block-printed shirt and sneakers. She wears the multi-colored check with a plain pink top and lets the trousers do the work.

 I still have two colors in stock: the colored checks and the off-white (natural, undyed).

A Short Silk Kaftan, and a Top Made From a Silk-Cotton Handwoven Stole

The cream kaftan is short, silk, eco printed and naturally dyed at Aranya Naturals The other side is a deep eggplant shibori pattern, also in natural dye. 

The olive and copper top (also natural dyes) with the tasselled hem was made by the designer James Ferreira, cut from a stole created by a weaver in Bhujodi, Kuchchh, Gujarat. 

I don't have any of the short silk kaftans left, but I have a a longer one in blush and indigo striped shibori and a James Ferreira-styled jacket, fashioned from a cotton-silk stole that I will post on the website shortly. I do have an overlay jacket eco-printed using marigold flowers still available and perfect for fall. 

The Hand Block Print Shirt, Worn Two Ways

The olive and cream shirt patterned with circles appears twice on this page, on purpose. Once with the dark obi pants (see obi tuck pants section). Once with a red bandhani scarf thrown over it (below). 

Same shirt, two outfits. Unfortunately, I'm all out of these shirts! They did really well too.

Kantha Sari Shawls, and What She Buys for Other People

Barbara has bought perhaps four kantha sari shawls. The fourth was a gift for her sister-in-law, who is standing next to her in the photograph at the top of this page.

That is the second time she has done this. On her very first order she bought three scarves and kept one.

Barabara has bought a necklace or two as well. And a kala cotton tunic  and a red mud-resist block printed shirt (I don't have photos of those).

But I am thrilled that Barbara uses the clothing she buys from me. 

The clothing is the part of Premaasi I talk about least!