Back to square one

I studied art from MS University Baroda The checked Madras pattern is at the heart of abstract art It is visually exciting to create different tones patterns and textures in a single garment everything is rhythmic concrete yet fleetingrdquo says Chinar Farooqui of textilefirst brand InjiriMadras checks used as head wraps by African women Pic CourtesyRotary NewsUnlike brands that focus on surface embellishments Farooqui says that she invests money and energy in handlooms ldquoOur Madras checks come with the value of extra weft Jamdani technique for our customersrdquo Her forthcoming springsummer 2025 collection heroes the Madras checks once more ldquoalthough we incorporate checks every seasonrdquo Chinar Farooquirsquos textiles on a floor loom Chinar Farooquirsquos textiles on a floor loom at the Jamdani weaving cluster of Ghoranash in West Bengal Pics CourtesyInjirithe Jamdani weaving cluster of Ghoranash in West Bengal Pics CourtesyInjiriClothing labels need a memorable resonant name Origins and connections are important too even if to be a maker is largely a matter of selfinvention It was only natural then for Farooqui to find her brand name in Injiri a term used by Nigeriarsquos Kalabari tribe which means ldquoReal Indiardquo ldquoIt is the core technique used by Injiri the brand These checkered textiles of Madras have been our source of inspiration for last 14 years and we revisit this ageold design language in different coloursrdquo she explainsChinar FarooquiThe fabric was named after Madraspatnam Madras now Chennai the coastal city where loomers first started making the textile in the 12th century Mass production and export of Madras fabric began with the arrival of the European colonists In the early 1600s Dutch traders arrived in India to trade calico cloth US actress Ayo Edebiri poses with the awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for Hulursquos The Bear during the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on February 24 Shersquos wearing a monochrome Madras checks ensemble by Luar PicGetty ImagesIn the 17th century the British East India Company EIC occupied Madras officially establishing it as a trading port and declaring control over Indianmade textiles To establish a flourishing labour supply chain the EIC promised 30years exemption duties for Indian weavers in Madras leading to an enormous surge in weavers settling in Madras Over the next three centuries the British would ship Real Madras Handkerchief RMHK to French and Spanish settlements in Africa the Caribbean and the Pacific Madras plaid became embedded in indigenous cultural traditions in Africa as it was given to women after childbirth or as a gift to the families of deceased loved onesldquoWhen it comes to textile crafts of India we like to talk about things that are rare and expensive like muslin Chikankari or Pashmina Madras plaid is part of Indiarsquos everyday fabric and culture From colonisers to the colonised the affluent to the masses the Madras check cloths have been embraced by allrdquo Farooqui saysWhatrsquos ldquoBleeding MadrasrdquoBleeding Madras was made popular by captain CP Krishnan Nair the late founder of The Leela Group In the late rsquo50s Nair introduced American textile exporter William Jacobson to a fabric that was woven in Chennai for South Africa The USP Because it was made using natural dyes with every wash the fabric would bleed colour and change texture leading to the concept of ldquoBleeding Madrasrdquo Excited the exporter ordered 10000 yards which was bought by Brooks Brothers Americarsquos oldest highend fashion company founded in 1818 The company fashioned it into jackets shirts and shorts But the entire collection had to be taken off the racks as Jacobson failed to mention ldquowashing carerdquo instructions to Brooks Brothers Nair was sued for the nonfast colours but the matter is said to have settled with Jacobson paying damages to the fashion companyFarooqui adds ldquoHistorically this goes back to the origins of the Madras cloth when weavers in India used natural vegetable dyes which bled naturally when damp As a result the bright colours would fade into new unique designs of muted colours Eventually this became a selling point of the product since no two pieces of fabric were alike after bleedingrdquo