Ikat is something most of us probably haven't heard of. However, I found myself fascinated when I explored deeper into this particular brand of weaving.

How many people can solve a rubrics cube? There are even competitions held internationally on how fast a person can crack the cube. For those who think that a 3X3 puzzle with 54 segments with 43 262 003 274 489 856 000 possible combinations is complex, imagine creating an image with thousands of threads by coloring them before weaving them together. Mind boggling right? That's exactly what Ikat weavers do.

The weaving has two sets of threads: the warp and the weft. The former is the foreground while the latter is the background. In Ikat, either or both can be dyed before. The threads are first tied in desired designs and colored. The process is repeated many times so that the framework for the final image is ready. Then the warp and weft are woven together with utmost attention so that the design originally planned actually appears. According to the experts warp Ikat is easier than weft. The most difficult type is double ikat, where both sets of threads are colored. I imagine that is a problem which can overwhelm even a supercomputer.

The warp ikat

The weft ikat

This might be assumed as a new invention by some renounced genius mathematician/ logician but it is an ancient art of which even fossils are scares. If we think that such an assembly is almost impossible to arrange now, one can only wonder at humans at times long past who achieved a feat worthy of calling them advanced compared to contemporary engineering.

Ikat: The mark of prestige in international history

The Japanese Kasuki

A fact even more incredible than this is that ikat developed in several countries like Indonesia, India, Mexico, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and the Philippines independent of each other. In India alone ikat evolved in two different places: Telangana and Gujarat. Japan reserved it's ikat solely for royalty and had a unique process found nowhere else in the world. This exquisite cloth was called Kasuki. In Iran, a cloth woven by this method was given as a dowry by rich families and the word used for ikat Daraee, literally means wealth. China has records of the

existence of twenty-seven different types of ikat weaving, (sadly, only four still remain) which they called atlas during the Qing occupation. If our Homo sapiens ancestors were that intelligent and dexterous, no wonder we dominate the world!

Ikat: Not so clearly the best:

Unless it’s a celebrity caught in a scandal or a minor, a blurred image only serves to annoy everyone right? Once again Ikat proves to be the exception as the blurred characteristics are appreciated and actually valued owing to the difficulties in getting good results. Not surprisingly, a sharp and distinct product is even more precious. The material has to be finer and so silk was the poison of choice for the more accurate works which needed more intensive labor. However, Ikat can be made from any fabric like cotton or silk, both of which are the most popular choice. But the existence of other fibers also been used is not unheard of. 

Ikat: the living relic

Gujarathi patola by Guicci

For those who wrongly assume that ikat is a thing of the past, I am happy to inform that the ikat is centuries long and still weaving strong. From the panchampalli of Telangana and patola of Gujarat, to the rebozos of pre-Colombian and contemporary Mexico Ikat has left its mark in the world of fashion and fabrics to date. Designers like Thhadeous O’ Neil, Oscar de la Renta, Vinita Passary, Abraham and Thakore, Umang Hutheesing, Guicci and many more have fallen for the old school charm of the Ikat and have extensively incorporated it into their works. This traditional yet chic attire is available in both traditional and modern designs, just waiting to ornate the one who picks it up. It is even available online with no end of choices in style, brand, designer, fabric, color and cost. With the costume meant for royalty of the past, let us call forth the chic sovereign in us!

The Mexican Rebozo