When we drape a ajrakh print dupatta, bandhani saree or wear a jacket adorned with mirror embroidery, we often marvel at its beauty — the symmetry, the color, the detail. But few of us stop to ask: Where did this come from? Who made it? In the arid yet vibrant land of Kutch, Gujarat, the answers are woven deep into the fabric .
My recent journey through this cultural cradle revealed not just a region, but a living museum of India’s textile legacy, where fashion meets tradition and handwork through generations of skillful hands.
In the dusty village lanes of Ajrakhpur, I watched as artisans dipped wooden blocks into natural dyes and stamped them with precision onto cotton cloth. The process of Ajrakh print? A meticulous 15-step journey, beginning with fabric treatment and ending with a breathtaking play of geometric symmetry.
The Ajrakh prints are majorly used in dupattas, sarees, kurtas, bags, and more. It’s a work that demands practice, patience and perfection.
Moving towards more hard -work which is bandhani, From Bhuj to Jamnagar, the Bandhani artisans create magic with thread and color. This intricate tie-and-dye process starts with pinching and knotting the fabric — often with seeds, coins, or beads — to form patterns that only reveal themselves after dyeing. When the fabric unfolds, it bursts into bright, joyful dots and motifs, each formed by hours of work and generations of intuition. This required a very good speed and color usage for its bright and active look in the attire or any décor. 
When asked about the hard work: “It looks difficult to you,” laughs a Bandhani artisan, “but for us, it’s like breathing. We’ve been doing this since we were little.”
The bandhani is crafted for ethnic wear, wedding sarees, dupattas, and festive occasions, Bandhani is more than design and it’s a cultural identity for the people of Gujarat.
Now coming to Bhuj’s backyards and courtyards, I met the women who keep hand embroidery alive. Often members of the Rabari community, they stitch for hours — turning plain cloth into detailed tapestries of thread and mirror. The artistry is quiet but intense, stitched into blouses, cushion covers, hangings, jackets, and bags.
Here, mirror work, cotton or silk thread, and even Bandhani and Ajrakh prints are often combined by creating multilayered pieces.
What makes Kutch so unique is that nearly every household is involved in some form of traditional craft : from textile printing and weaving to embroidery and decor. The region is not just producing garments; it’s producing heritage for the world to wear.
And yet, most of us who wear these vibrant pieces have no idea of the sweat, skill, and soul behind them.
This is a region where fashion isn’t manufactured — it’s lived. Where a woman can embroider a blouse while tending to livestock. Where a man dyes Ajrakh fabric while his son carves new wooden blocks beside him.
So, Next Time You Wear That Handcrafted Piece…
Ask yourself: Whose hands made this? What village did it come from? What story does it tell? And must respect the culture and the hard work behind the attire or product.
Because somewhere in Kutch, an artisan has worked all day — under the hot sun, by the loom, with dye-stained fingers and unwavering focus to create what we call fashion.
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