The shawl is a central element of the holding of Indians and Indian women. Whether an integral part of the traditional outfit (the case of the dupatta) or whether it is used in winter, thrown on the shoulder to keep hot, each circumstance requires a different raw material: wool, silk, cotton for natural fibers, but also acrylic and synthetic for artificial fibers. Some regions of India specialize in weaving shawls and have developed their own designs over the generations. In Rajasthan, more than 500 years ago, a former community of weavers has migrated and settled in Gujarat. They were then called Meghwal Wankars; Today, each member of this community responds to the name of Vankar.

Business shuttle to weave. Credits @dsource.in 

Thus, the Kutch region, in Gujarat, and in particular the village of Bhujodi, is the home of the Vankar community, descendants of the Rajasthan weavers. Previously, the shawls they woven were used by the community as a currency to eat; Today, the craft market being well developed and their art recognized, they sell their shawls to major Indian ready-to-wear brands, and also abroad. Traditionally, the Vankars use the wool spun by the hand of their neighbors, the nomads Rabaris du Gujarat, the latter being a community of goat and sheep breeders.

If the Bhujodi shawls are traditionally made with local natural raw materials, today craftsmen also use imported materials. Thus, merino wool comes from Australia and New Zealand. She arrives at the raw state in Ludhiana in Punjab, where she is spun. In India, Tassar silk (See our Tassar silk shawls) is also a popular fiber and used by Gujarat weavers. India is the second country in the world manufacturer of Tassar silk, which can also be called wild silk (Watch in video the wild silk manufacturing process). Local Indian wool, desi wool (Desi means local in Hindi), is very popular with Indians because very hot to face winter. The weaks are supplied locally, since a community close to Vankars in Gujarat, the Rabaris, are sheep and goat breeders and produce wool they spin in hand. 

The wool thus spun will then form the chain (warp in English), which measures between 55 and 60 meters, intended to forge around 20 to 25 shawls. The chain is a set of threads that will serve as support for the frame (which in the end will be the only visible). 600 sons are required for a woolen shawl, but 1000 wires for a silk shawl. The chain is then wet in order to more easily stretch the wool wires. By drying, the wires are separated one by one by hand. Using a large brush, craftsmen stammers the chain with a dough made from flour and onions to make the wool more resistant. The threads used for the frame are tinted and also starched. The dyes used are natural and organic dyes. For example, they use tea or indigo leaves.

The craftsmen then weave the shawls on the loom. The patterns that decorate shawls are specific to their community, and have gone from generation to generation, such as the dhulki. Once the weaving is finished, the pompoms are added on the edge. The latter are made locally, either by the women of craftsmen or in neighboring villages.

Find all of our Gujarat shawls on the e-shop here