Why Rweaves?

Our culture is built on traditions passed on from generation to generation. It is an integral

part of people’s lives – their values, loyalties, material goods- the things that people use and
produce, and beliefs, are the very foundation of their lives. Understanding cultures is
valuable in building good relationships - personal, business, and working. A nation is
identified by its cultural traditions, its heritage. It’s what makes each country unique.

It is important to keep traditions alive.

In our country of diverse cultures and traditions, we have different art forms of weaving and
embroidering textiles in each state. Woolen fabrics/articles are made from a variety of
wool, from the soft Pashmina shawls, made from cashmere wool, taken from goats native to
Kashmir, to the brightly coloured Kullu shawls made with three types of wools – Merino,
Angora, and local sheep wool, to the Naga shawls woven in red and black wool with distinct
shawl patterns of each tribe. The Panchachuli weave from Uttarakhand is knitted by women
with Tibetan, Cashmere, and sheep wool.

Then there are cotton fabrics woven with intricate designs, as well as embroidered with
beautiful embroidery and block prints typical to its area. Kalamkari from Andhra Pradesh is a
block print fabric. Kumbi, another dying art is a cotton-chequered fabric particular to Goa.
Then there’s tie and dye – Bandhani in Gujarat, Kasavu – handwoven unbleached cotton
sarees with zari boarders peculiar to Kerala. Manipur too has traditional block striped cotton
fabric. In Punjab the traditional fabric is Phulkari, a unique, brightly coloured, floral
embroidery. Mirror work is another tradition originally from Rajasthan. Chikankari from
Uttar Pradesh is another unique and beautiful embroidered material; it is delicate and
intricate, mainly produced in Lucknow. Of all the handloom materials the Pochampally Ikat
from Telegana, known for its geometric patterns and intentional bleed has the most number
of looms – approximately five thousand.

Silk fabrics too are widespread in our country. Muga silk from Assam, a durable fine texture,
is also known as the “golden fibre.” Another durable silk fabric is from Chhattisgarh – Kosa
silk from an extremely rare silkworm. IKarnataka is famous for its Mysore silk exquisite
quality and craftsmanship. The Chanderi silk from Madhya Pradesh is also unique in that it
has a light sheer texture and is also known as “woven air.” An amazing art of weaving silk
with both sides identical, is the Paithani from Maharashtra. But of all the beautiful and
varied silks, the Kanjeevaram silk is the most expensive; famous for its lustrous fabric with
gold used in the weaving process.

Today, in our world of mass production - “cheaper by the dozen” formula, the intricate,
time-consuming, beautifully handcrafted products are being edged out. We assist those who
struggle, determined to carry on their traditions and crafts. Rweaves has also been
successful in bringing back those who had given up their art to take up different trades to
stay afloat.
Tangaliya, a handloom fabric with the intricate art of creating tiny individual dots (like
miniscule beads) with a separate thread, while weaving, to form beautiful motifs and
designs, is unique in that the dots are beautifully formed and identical on both sides of the
fabric – there are no loose ends. The patterns are not pre-designed in any form. The
artisans use their skills and work out the pattern as they weave, without any artwork to
guide them.

Tangaliya was a dying art in the villages of Surendranagar district in Gujarat. We found just
three weavers had stuck to their art, doing their best to eke out a living. Through awareness
of the importance of their art, training, and assurance of necessary assistance, we have
been able to bring artisans back to their roots. The revival of the art is gathering
momentum.

Most important, is the fact that this art form involves the entire family. The women carry
out the initial setting up of the looms and bobbins and when it is set up, mostly the men
take over. There are few women who also weave.

Patola weaving is a single Ikat tradition. Ikat means to tie. The dying process is tedious. It is
required to be dyed a number of times depending on the design and colours. Each time
before it is dyed, resist threads are tied to define the design. Once all the dying is
completed, the threads are reeled and the weft tied. Then the weaving process begins.

Once again, families carry out this entire process.

By purchasing a product from Rweaves, you will not only gain a piece of high-quality
handwork. You will also: - sustain local traditional arts & crafts, - support rural artisans to
insure sustainable livelihoods, - support fair pricing for honest products, - purchase
assured quality.