Olive & Indigo Itajime Silk Block Kaftan For Women

Bold Olive & Indigo Itajime Silk Block Kaftan for women, crafted from lightweight 40g habutai silk crepe and hand-dyed using traditional itajime shibori Japanese clamp-dye technique for a layered artisanal finish. Designed in a relaxed wide-cut silhouette with a boat neckline and bias trim, it offers a fluid drape inspired by modern boubou styling. Finished in a midi length with side slits and cuff sleeves for ease of movement, this silk kaftan blends expressive resortwear design with handcrafted dye craftsmanship. Each 3-meter fabric is folded, clamped, and dyed up to three times by hand, creating subtle variations in colour and pattern. Ideal for resort styling, summer wear, travel, and elevated day-to-evening occasions.

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.