The binding method of ikat is known as “resist-dyeing” and requires a high level of precision. When all of the dyeing is finished the bindings are removed and the threads are ready to be woven into cloth. Altering the bindings and using more than one colour during the dyeing process helps produce elaborate, complex and striking designs that only appear following weaving, when the ikat pattern is revealed in its entirety.

Discover our ikat scarves

Visit the Victoria & Albert museum here for more information on the resist-dyeing ikat weaving technique.

Primitive yet exuberant, Fanjul’s print design conjures up lurid images of a magical world inspired by a variety of elements from the geometrical aspects of a turtle’s shell to the labyrinth details of a leaf, coercing us into a new world that is the Tondo.

Fanjul’s achievements date back to the age of 17 when the Galerie Matisse de Seclin devoted a personal exhibition to her works while la Mairie acquired one of her paintings. In 2006, the Carte Blanche exposition in the ancient chapel Vieux-Lille allowed her to unleash her engravings to the discerning eye. Fanjul took part in the group exhibition “Zoo o Logis” at the contemporary Galerie Mazel in Brussels in 2011.

Fanjul currently lives and works in Lille, France pursuing her ink work through compositions inspired by humour and irony. For more information on her current projects visit Fanjul’s website here.

To purchase Claire Fanjul’s commission for ahilya in 3 exclusive colour-ways email us at eshop@ahilya.com

A random spill or pour of ink is the first part of Lela’s drawing process. From there, the rest of the work emerges, utilizing delicate line work and detailing in an ultra fine balance between human and animal realms. Inspired by 17th Century Cabinets of Curiosity, Shields’s work often relates to hybrid creatures; in her print she references ahilya’s nomadic Ladakhi goats. Antlers float and grow into bare branches while fantastical wings and claws evoke the heraldic griffin. The symbolism behind their qualities can be complex and layered and also personal to the viewer.

Born in London and a graduate from The School of Art Institute of Chicago, Shields is one of 66 artists shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize 2009, recently winning two Juried shows at the Capsule Gallery and Space Gallery in Denver Colorado. She was also given the Stamford Award of Excellence by Whitney Museum curator Gary Carrion-Murayari and was awarded a merit-based fellowship towards a residency programme at the Vermont Studio.

Shields lives and works in San Francisco but is currently travelling worldwide, participating in group exhibitions in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, with solo exhibitions in New York City, Los Angeles and Denver. For more information on her current projects visit Shields’s website here.

To purchase Lela Shield’s exclusive commission for ahilya email us at eshop@ahilya.com

John W. Waterhouse, Ophelia, 1894

As we impatiently await the arrival of spring we would love to share our inspiration for the irresistible selection of love scarves on our e-shop, and why not say it with Shakespeare?

Through his sonnets, tragedies and even comedies, love remained a prevalent theme. His poetry has inspired the best of us, be it when booking a Shakespearean romantic get-away or when your loved one scribbled a fruitful v-day message inspired by Sonnet 130.

Against the backdrop of Juliet, whose coupling with young Romeo has made her a synonym for the complex workings of love itself- J.W. Waterhouse’s painting of Ophelia from Shakepeare’s Hamlet would seem like an unlikely heroine for ahilya to take inspiration from. But she too, like Juliet, stroked the chords of love by reciting sweet song. However unsuccessful this was, you have to salute her for trying. The excerpt from her Valentine’s song below about a maid being seduced by a lover is a bittersweet testament of love’s pangs.

“To-morrow is Saint Valentine’s day,

All in the morning betime,

And I a maid at your window,

To be your Valentine”

Let’s hope we will all be lucky romantics this Spring. Visit our e-shop for more inspiration on ahilya’s love theme where the colour palette of soft greys and lustrous pastels are definitely something Ophelia would approve of. ahilya’s ultrafine woven scarves perfectly completes the imminent transition into the spring season and all in the spirit of love.

Our scarves are hand spun and hand woven in Kashmir but some wonder what hand spinning is and why it is a particular feature in our scarves.

Hand-spinning is the art of twisting fibre into a continuous thread by hand using a spinning wheel. In Kashmir, we use age-old wooden spinning wheels. The thread is spun very thin. This technique requires considerable agility to avoid the thread to break.

The result is a yarn that is slightly irregular and which – added to the hand weaving – results in a beautiful supple scarf with a wavy, slightly irregular and unique aspect.

For Paris Fashion Week, there we were – the ahilya team in its entirety – for the most important tradeshow of the season, PREMIERE CLASSE. Nestled in the Jardin des Tuileries, neighboring the famed Louvre Museum, we presented our SS11 scarves. It was an absolute pleasure to meet global buyers – from Seoul to Athens – and we’re hoping that we will have exciting new stockists in new capitals soon.

During our rare, intermittent breaks, we’d peruse the beautiful garden, with its many fountains, statues, and well-groomed landscaping, compliments of 17th century French landscape artists André Le Nôtre.

One statue that never ceased to fascinate us was Aristide Maillol’s l’air, 1939, which was placed in the Tuileries by Andre Malraux in 1964.

We’re honoured to have been selected for our use of ancient Kashmiri production methods for crafting our ultra fine cashmere scarves from Kashmir, India.

Here’s ahilya’s very own Manuela Moollan accepting the Innovation Award at the Hospital Club in London!

Last week, Alec Mac Intosh and Dilys Williams hosted a roundtable to discuss supplying in India. Their new website Sharedtalentindia.com aims at creating ties between designers and suppliers – so far, 67 suppliers have registered, each of them who produce their materials sustainably.

I was honoured to be part of this group of people, which included major companies like John Lewis and Topshop as well as smaller scale designers and boutiques like Eco-age, who all collectively brainstormed on how to develop this database of sustainable suppliers.  Mainly, we all shared our respective production processes and experiences.

The two-hour discussion was a mind opener, giving penetrating insights into the different reasons why people decide to have their designs produced in India. It was widely recognised that it has become impossible for some to produce in the U.K. as certain techniques and skills have disappeared. Additionally, certain types of industry, like the food industry, have had a number of reports citing working conditions in the U.K. that are markedly worse than in India. All in all, the majority of the participants believed that embroidery work and the uniqueness of Indian handcrafting simply can not be reproduced anywhere else.

It was a great relief to hear from John Lewis that they produce their rugs with small communities. Fortunately, not all of the big players go for big productions after all. What was common to all of us was certainly the human bond that is created between everyone producing in India and the people there we work with. Loyalty is the key to economic sustainability.  However big the home studio, the workshop or the manufacturing unit, North or South, allowing craftsmen to preserve these incredible skills in many different fabrics and techniques is the ultimate incentive.

Great ideas came out of this evening’s event, but what was probably the most forward thinking was The Sustainable Centre of Fashion’s aim to reach out to designers who are overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of the continent and to offer them guidance. Questions as to whom designers should look for to produce in India are answered, and ultimately, that aforementioned human bond and exchange is carried forth.

Image taken from Shared Talent India lookbook.