Uzbekistan, the geographic and political center of Central Asia, is an important market and trade center along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route that linked China with Europe and the Middle East. A long history of world-class cotton, silk, and wool production exists in the region. If you take a closer look, Uzbekistan boasts an extreme variety of textile product diversification. There are some of the most beautiful structures in the world here. Huge Madrassas and ancient Mosques belong from the sunbaked portfolio of wonders of nature, glowing in the sun in ample shades of blue.
Uzbekistan is very popular and admired for its exquisite creation of embroidered attires. Not only do they produce such quality garments, but they also ensure diversity in the hues evident. Their designs have a special address to call upon and that is Suzane and Ikat respectively.
Soviet supremacy hurt the Uzbek crafts and Islamic applications were strictly prohibited. Although currently Uzbekistan is considered a secular residence, Islamic ideologists practice it on a small scale. It is almost an unbelievable aspect of history to acknowledge as the weaving of embroideries like Suzane and Ikat were motionless in that period. As we discover more about the country we get familiar with the tremendous qualities of textiles. Interestingly enough, the stitching and needleworks were implemented for Suzani embroideries in Uzbekistan first.
Authentically it is made from cotton or silk-based fabrics also called “ADRAS’’ which refers to the embroidered clothes with the use of cotton or silk threads. It was mostly created by Uzbek women who were offering this as a dowry for their marriage. An individual can carry this as a memorable object offered from the prepossessing territory of Uzbekistan.
Ikat is an Indonesian word and it is defined as the process of tying or binding. These textiles are available all around the globe (Malaysia, Japan, and Central Asia) but mainly in Indonesia. The Double Ikat movement has unique methods to follow. First, they resist the dyes of both warp and weft yarns. Warp yarns are specifically in use in Uzbekistan.
A string of cotton fabrics made from Ikat is called “abr”, which comes from a Persian term that means cloud in Uzbekistan. Cloud-tying, ABR-bandi, refers to the binding technique that gives Ikat its characteristic pattern of clouds. Most ikat masters tie off the threads intricately, resist-dyeing the threads to make the pattern. The dyeing process used to require more than one dryer since each could specialize in a different color.
The dyed threads are threaded onto the loom, the pattern is made visible and the simple weaving methods make life a lot easier for the craftsman. Ikat’s replacement was mainly done by large textile industries formed by Soviet Corporation in 1960-70. The patterns were handmade while the machines were only used to weave the fabrics.
Examples of Uzbek fabrics featured in Central Asian silk show how dramatic these fabrics are. One example is a fabric called Suzani that is embroidered with silk threads, and another is ikat, a fabric that is woven with hand-spun silk yarn. It is as if every Suzani (translated from Farsi, which means “embroidery”) has a story to tell.
Fashion houses are constantly in search of quality garments from Uzbekistan, the capability of New Silk Road craftsmen is rooted in their patrimony. Suzani and Ikat are still considered as cultural and household material in Uzbekistan but what is glorifying Uzbek textiles is its sustainable approach, unique crafts, and ethical outcomes. The extraordinary fables of Uzbekistan are still much underrated. The fashion industry is growing but the base of such wonderful vogue stories is still in the backlog to unleash new and exciting mania modes.
Written by Rafiad Ruhi
