Black & White Latitude Silk Itajime Dune Robe

Stunning Black & White Latitude Silk Itajime Dune Robe for women, a simple cut with a silhouette of undulating drapes, this one-size, open-fronted piece with bold black and white stripes achieved via the Itajime clamp-dye technique. A highlight among silk kimono for women looking for real striking pieces. Made from silk so it has an exquisite touch and fluid movement, falling loosely from sleeveless shoulders into a dramatic, floor-sweeping length that moves beautifully with every step. Crafted entirely by hand in a dedicated workshop, this piece carries forward artisanal production, holding its place firmly within womens sustainable clothing.

Story Behind the Design

The Itajime Silk Collection has been hand-crafted in the workshop of two of India's foremost Master Craftsmen; Jabbar and brother Abdullah Khatri from Bhuj, Gujarat.

Shibori is a 1300 year old tie and dye technique developed in Japan involving the folding and clamping or otherwise securing of fabric prior to dyeing. Itajime is one technique of shibori which uses pieces of wood clamped together around sections of folded fabric to resist the dye in particular shapes. Each 3m section of fabric is individually folded, clamped, tied and dyed; and this repeated several times to get layers of colours. It's a time consuming and exacting technique with bold geometric results.

In Bhuj, clamp dye techniques came into practice around 35 years ago. During that time, clamp dyeing techniques were used on traditional lungis (sarongs) to produce various designs. This was a short-lived trend, however and the technique went out of use after some 5 years. The Khatri brothers re-introduced the process in Bhuj and now create some of the finest itajime, clamp-dyed textiles in India.

Any variations or irregularities are part of the design and inherent to the production process.