Comet Silk Itajime Dune Robe

Celestial Comet Silk Itajime Dune Robe for women, is fashioned from luxurious silk with a fluid silhouette. The one-size, open-front design offers an effortless layer, while mother-of-pearl buttons at the front provide the option to secure the robe and create a more defined finish. Hand-dyed using the Japanese Itajime clamp-dye technique, its richly expressive pattern is formed through the careful folding and clamping of silk before dyeing. This long silk kimono robe brings an artistic quality to both understated daywear and evening dressing. Thoughtfully crafted and designed to endure beyond fleeting trends, it is a distinctive addition to 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.