Uzbek fabrics with a specific pattern have become a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. Its bright pattern is recognizable throughout the world. These fabrics appeared at the beginning of a new era and became the hallmark of the region. They cannot be confused with anything today.
It turned out that even today fabrics with national prints are very popular in Uzbekistan: they are used to sew clothes (and wear them!), They decorate interiors. I was lucky to meet a family that has been selling ikat in Bukhara for many years, the owner of the store is also a fashion designer, and according to her sketches, local craftswomen sew clothes that fly around the world. She told me that there are several types of Uzbek fabrics and their characteristics.
Ikat is the name of a specific way of creating a pattern. It is formed when partially dyed threads are used, they form a pattern. But ikat weaving is not an exclusive oriental tradition, it is also found among the peoples of Africa, in Indonesia. But the peculiarity of ikat in Central Asia is that the pattern is formed only by longitudinal threads, transverse threads are always monophonic.
Traditional patterns had their own symbolic meaning, some combinations protect against enemies, some help attract wealth, etc. At the Khan Palace Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts in Bukhara, I saw a collection of clothing made from traditional fabrics.
I brought half a suitcase of different fabrics from Uzbekistan, their colors are very spectacular, but I only took cotton, silk is too expensive for me. The fabric is pleasant to wear and the colors are always pleasing to the eye. By the way, fashion designers around the world have been very fond of ikat in recent years, specific patterns can be seen in many collections of famous fashion designers.
The characteristics of handmade fabrics are a narrow width (45-48 cm), at certain intervals (from 80 to 120 cm) there is a white inner layer on the fabric, a slope, these are traces of fastening to the frame. Like all fabrics made from natural materials, ikat shrinks greatly when washed, and should be washed carefully as the colors may fade.
The fabrics are quite expensive. Cotton – about 200 rubles per meter, silk from 800 to 2000 per meter (2017 prices), and there are more expensive ones. I took a lot of fabric at once and therefore received a decent discount. Now I have some ikat pieces in my wardrobe and I wear them with great pleasure.
Do you like Uzbek fabrics?
