I didn’t want to write some chat gpt ahh article explaining the craft form the sage green Allie set was inspired by because you could just google blockprint to learn about it. Instead, I wanted to share what blockprint means to me and why we paid homage to it in our first drop:
I was born in Jaipur and spent all my summer growing up there. Not even exaggerating, look anywhere in Jaipur, and you’ll see blockprint. Lots of the kurtas, dupattas, sarees, bed sheets, table cloths, napkins, even furniture upholstery in Jaipur is blockprint. In a way, it was my first introduction to the vast and beautiful art of Indian craft.
I always admired how perfectly imperfect blockprint is. The lines and spacing always looked like it was machine made, but the slight differences in its coloring alignment gave way to its handmade nature.
I didn’t even know how blockprint were made till I first started conceptualizing Praali 3 years ago. On one of my visits to Jaipur, I visited Brigitte Singh’s beautiful garden studio:
Here, I saw master artisans carve blocks, stretch out pure cotton and linen fabrics and stamp the blocks on them.
I saw the blockprint dye being made and how Brigitte set up the most fascinating irrigation system to make her studio sustainable and circular.
Traditional blockprint is one of those craft forms that can only be done on natural fabrics, is slow handmade, and is extremely sustainable. While incredibly Indian, blockprinting has travelled the world, from Vera Bradely to French houses creating their own versions of it, it’s well-travelled, yet remains Indian at heart. Just like what I hope for Praali <3
The method of blockprinting, it’s deep ties to India, and my own lifelong relationship with it made it feel like a natural choice to pay homage to in Praali’s first few pieces.