Traditional Textiles of India - An Artistic Evaluation

Costumes and Textiles have occupied a prominent place in the world, across geographic regions and climatic conditions, since ancient times. People naturally utilized whatever material was conveniently available. Over time, the designing of textiles and costumes developed in the hands of artisans as they enriched fabric and garments. In fact, contemporary textiles and costumes reflect our spirit, our consciousness and the vibrancy of the society in which we live. This is how textile and costume designing has evolved in India.

Artisans and craftsmen have played a pivotal role in textile designing since prehistoric times. The vision vocabulary of the artisan and functional usage of particular artefacts have led to important contributions in the development of artistic designs. The division of techniques, however, was not clear-cut and quite often one technique could flow into the other, leading to variations in characteristic forms and styles.

The preservation, revival and study of the best of the textiles and costumes are necessary to provide a guide to good craftsmanship. These designs embody the synthesis, over time, of indigenous talents, the new cultural impacts, and the imagery of sign and symbol. Fashion designers and craftsmen today create crafts whose designs and ornamental motifs are truly characteristic of India, and these have become the inspiration for future generations.

The dates when specific patterns in textiles and costumes appear and reappear are illuminating, for they reveal how designs and styles repeat themselves. Often a pattern seems typical of a far later time than that of its actual making. All fashion arises at a particular moment in history. People demonstrate how they belong, where they are in place and time, by shaping the lines and colours of their clothes and furnishings in their homes. A fresh modification of the old motif and style, ornamentation or design is generally how innovation is accepted in designing.

Textiles and costumes go back to mankind’s earliest times and belong to a very old tradition of design and symbols. Although reinvented several times, the basic art forms retained their shape and artistic appeal through the centuries. Like other art forms, traditional textiles and costumes also link the past with the present. Through the centuries, the skill of the artisan has been employed for design creation or modification, not for documentation. Accordingly, the burden of documentation has fallen on museums, design centres and archives.

The changing roles of the artisans, craftsmen and designers are emphasized in the context of emerging technology that is capable of facilitating the preservation, dissemination and generation of new designs based on decorative forms, and also offers enhanced capabilities in terms of colour variety and colour differentiation. It is hoped that the influence of emerging technology will lead to a renaissance in the field of decorative designing. Indian textile and costume designs can be innovatively used today by interchanging motifs and their ornamentations for serving the world of fashion and also increasing awareness about our rich cultural heritage.