New Ikat discoveries

I don't think I will ever cease to be amazed at the genius behind the technique of ikat textiles. I recently visited my supplier in Hyderabad and saw some designs that got me really excited. I marveled at the new designs they were developing, including some fantastic Central Asian ikat motifs. My supplier told me only one of their weavers is capable of weaving the complicated designs, so lead times for those fabrics vary between 2 to 4 months. I asked how old this weaver was, silently praying that he wasn't old and that he was teaching his children how to weave these intricate designs. The weaver was summoned from another room- he happened to be in the city for a meeting that day. He was all of 17 years old (phew! long live these stunning ikat fabrics!) and painfully shy. He turned red when I told him how brilliant his work was, and then I had to stop talking to him because he looked uncomfortable and his friends started teasing him.

Below are photographs I took of ikat textiles that day, and I want to just add one more important point. For those who don't know too much about ikat it is not a print. These designs are created by tie-dyeing the yarn before the fabric is woven, which means someone has to calculate where the weft (vertical) and warp (horizontal) yarn intersect for every strand of yarn! The yarn is then dyed accordingly so that a pattern emerges. In fact, ikat is so brilliant and so tough to do that several fashion lines in the States and Europe use print imitations to achieve the same motifs with the same jagged/uneven edges because they love the look but for whatever reason cannot produce the handwoven version. A part of me is upset that they would still call it ikat though- but that's a whole different issue related to intellectual property.


Central Asian Ikat

Another Central Asian Ikat design. I bought 5 metres of this on a whim, and now I'm breaking my head trying to figure out what I can make (each metre is around Rs 500).


A stunning silk runner (Indonesian Ikat design)


(Birds in ikat: their own development)

(Fish and starfish in Ikat: their own development).

Inspiration from New York

I just got back from a great vacation in the States, and the highlight of it was going back to New York for the first time since I left in 2006. It felt good to be there, and I had this strange (and comforting) feeling of familiarity but without the nostalgia. Guess that's a good sign that I'm meant to be here in Chennai, working away at Brass Tacks!

I often get into this "work mode" when I walk into an interesting store. I become incapable of making conversation, and I just soak in the designs, feel the fabric, examine the garments, and walk around the store saying dorky things like "oooh, look at the window display"! I enjoy it though, and I spent hours and hours doing exactly that when I was in New York. The idea behind Brass Tacks was conceived when I used to live in New York, and walking around exploring stores reminded me of all the reasons I started Brass Tacks and all the things I love about my job.

I wish I was a better photographer but I'm going to share these photos anyway because they really inspired me and got me feeling more enthusiastic about the Monsoon collection that I'm working on right now.


The window display at Anthropologie. Wine corks were used for the entire tree bark and vines. It's always inspiring to see effort going into small details. Often that can make all the difference.



I'm kicking myself for not getting a better photo of this model who sashayed up and down the All Saints store the entire time enticing women to try on this incredibly creative parachute dress.