Plain khadi shirt

Khadi fabric
A versatile fabric, cool in summer and warm in winter.Khadi is a hand-spun and woven natural
fibre cloth promoted by Mahatma Gandhi as swadeshi (self-sufficiency) for the freedom
struggle of the Indian subcontinent. The first piece of the hand-woven cloth was manufactured
in the Sabarmati Ashram during 1917-18. The coarseness of the cloth led Gandhi to call it
'khadi'. The cloth is usually hand spun and woven from cotton. However, it may also
include silk or wool, which are all spun into yarn on a spinning wheel called a charkha.
The balance between tradition, modernity and sustainability provided by this fabric is what has
made Khadi a fashion favourite since time immemorial.

Block Printing

Block Printing is a method of hand printing on textiles with inks. Printing designs onto fabric originated in China about 4,500 years ago. However, hand-blocked fabric reached its highest visual expression in the Indian subcontinent. Block printing is one of the oldest stamping methods in history and one of the best known in India. Indians possessed unparalleled expertise in the secrets of natural plant dyes, particularly with mordants (metallic salts that both create color and allow it to adhere to fabric).

In addition, a kind of mud resist-printing, called dabu, flourished in parts of Gujarat.  Thus, a series of combinations of mordant and resist stamping and dyeing enabled Indian printers to create uniquely complex designs. The creations of Indian artists reached around the world.  The designs adorned the palaces of South East Asian kings, the courts of Mughal emperors and even travelled to the far-flung capitals of  Western Europe.

Block Printing at Aartyz

Aartyz has a unique manufacturing approach, where craft person focuses on craft only. Furthermore, our trained experts pay special attention to  pre and post production of the fabrics and designs. We have  developed equipment and techniques which help us reduce wastage and re working. We have also created advanced infrastructure to get the optimum output from each skillset. This has increased the average earning of our crafts persons.

At Aartyz, we believe in learning and reinventing the art of hand block printing. Artists and designs from various parts of India such as Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat inspire us to make improvements in our designs and processes. We also take inspiration and ideas from different techniques to create new concepts.