A Window To Brocade Fabrics}

Submitted by: Akeera Sharma

With the advantage of fresh embroideries and new techniques, brocade has become more sparkling and vibrant.

India has been considered as the harbinger in the art of weaving fabrics. One such decorative fabric work is Brocade.

The fascination for bridal embellishment has led to a revived interest in Brocade weave. The beauty of Brocade lies in its colour spectrum. They produce colourful embroidery works of decorative fabrics.

Brocade or Brocar, a Kurdish word of Arab, where Bro means the Prophet and car means craft. Brocade is an ornate or a class of richly decorated textile of shuttle woven fabrics of an embossed cloth with supplementary weaving techniques, which is often made of colourful threads like silk, cotton, polyester, and sometimes with gold and silver threads, has become todays master piece.

Initially, brocade was limited to fashionable magazine covers and haute courters, but due to its increasing use in fashion industry, it moved into the main stream fashion and became a popular fabric.

Brocade is a beautiful fabric with characteristics such as skin-friendliness, compact weaving, metallic visual effects, durability, soft texture and long-lasting qualities etc and come in various hues and shades with heavy glitter embroideries, zari, silver and golden brocade works.

The history and origin of brocade lies in Benares, which is situated on Calcutta Delhi rail route, 678kms from Calcutta. Although Benares has always been a big textile centre, there has been no direct mention of the Brocades of Benares in early literature. The earliest mention of zari textiles of Benares is found in 19th Century. With the migration of silk weavers from Gujarat during the famine of 1603, its likely that silk brocade weaving started in Benares in the 17th Century and developed in excellence during the 18th &19thcentury.

Benares is now a world famous centre for handmade textiles. Other centres in India also produced and continued to produce the zari brocade types of textiles. But the ancient tradition of weaving is more preserved in Benares than anywhere else.

The materials required for making a brocade sari are vegetable dyes, natural and synthetic yarns, Jala loom, Banaras jacquard loom, Natawa, Pareta, Khali, and Tagh.

Kimkhwab is the major brocade type, which is also spelled as Kamkhab, is a Chinese word, which means Golden dream or a rare dream, is basically a fabric in which gold and silver plays a predominant role in emphasizing the design. These are generally used as panels in temples. Various Kimkhwabs are:

1. Amru

2. Abe-Rawans

3. Bafta or Pot Than

4. Chalta or Sattinete

5. Mashru

6. Sangi

With the invention of Jacquard looms, brocade weavers started producing various kinds of saris such as Silk Satin butte saris, Silk Tanchoi saris, Baluchar Badshah saris, Jangla saris, Minadar silk saris, Kimkham saris, Satan Tanchoi saris, Emboss Tanchoi saris, Ada Organza saris, Murti Satin saris, Minakari saris, Kardhwan brocade saris, and Ajanta satin saris etc.

As per the changes in fashion, brocade is also involved in making dhotis, dupattas, pyjamas, petticoats, turbans, animal covers and other furnishing fabrics. Now, brocade is moved into a mainstream fashion and became more popular fabric that is impressing lot of tourists even today.

About the Author: AkeeraAbout the Author :a freelancer long associated with ethnic fabrics, known for her special leaning towards ethnic sarees. She enjoys the privilege of being a part-time consultant to Unnati Silks. She may be contacted on 040-64555251 or 97000 57744 between 9 A.M.and 3 P.M. E-mail her at unnatikaro@gmail.com.

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