HANDSPUN HANDWOVEN COTTON
Handspun and handwoven cotton is the essence of Nature Alley. Over the years, spinning this cloth has become the dying art of impoverished weavers. Nature Alley wants to bring it back in style.
KOWDHI
Kowdhi is a traditional quilting technique from Karnataka where old clothes and unused bits of fabric are cut up and layered together and sewn into a patchwork quilt. Nature Alley uses this classic craft to make modern garments like a long kowdhi vest.
KASUTI
Kasuti is a geometric embroidery technique from Karnataka. It is very intricate work and its speciality is that the embroidery looks exactly the same on both sides of the cloth. The beautiful geometric designs are derived from ancient architecture, flora and fauna. This embroidery adorns Nature Alley sarees, dupattas, kurtas and kurtis.
LAMBANI
Lambanis or Banjaras are a nomadic tribe from Rajasthan, now spread over much of West and Southern India including Karnataka.
The Lambani embroidery is an amalgam of pattern darning, mirror work, cross stitch, and overlaid and quilting stitches with borders of “Kangura” patchwork appliqué, done on loosely woven dark blue or red handloom base fabric.
KALAMKARI
Kalamkari literally means "penmanship". Traditionally, the designs were drawn freehand with a kalam. Over time kalamkari has been honed into a fine art that is a combination of drawing, resist dyeing and hand painting. The design is first drawn freehand, then wax is applied over the design so it resists the dyeing process, after that it is dip-dyed, and finally the wax is removed and the negative space is hand painted to create the gorgeous, iconic patterns.
BLOCK PRINTING
Carved wooden blocks are hand painted and firmly printed on fabric to create unique patterns
KORA
The most recognizable part of a handspun cotton cloth is its natural, off-white colour or kora. “Kora” in Hindustani translates to “clean” or “blank”, the perfect base for shining the spotlight on meticulous, gorgeous embroidery or to be worn au naturel! It’s a Nature Alley classic.
INDIGO
Greek for “Indian dye” because it’s supposed to have originated in India and traded along the Silk Road, indigo is a versatile natural dye that can be used to get a range of colours from pale blue to bright blue to deep violet and even some shades of green.
ANAR
“Anar” is Hindustani for “pomegranate”. Anar can be used to produce a range of yellows from warm and sunny to dark ochre.
ALIZARIN
Derived from the madder root, alizarin is an organic compound that can produce a range of colours from light pink to rich brown.