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

Weaving loom shuttle. Credits @dsource.in

Thus, the Kutch region in Gujarat, and in particular the village of Bhujodi, is home to the Vankar community, descendants of the weavers of Rajasthan. Previously, the shawls they wove were used by the community as currency for food; today, with the handicraft market 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 hand-spun wool of their neighbors, the nomadic Rabaris of Gujarat, the latter being a community of goat and sheep herders.

If Bhujodi shawls are traditionally made with local natural raw materials, today artisans also use imported materials. So, merino wool comes from Australia and New Zealand. It arrives in its raw state in Ludhiana in Punjab, where it is spun. In India, Tussar silk (see our Tussar silk shawls) is also a popular fiber used by the weavers of Gujarat. India is the second country in the world to produce Tussar silk, which can also be called wild silk (see the video manufacturing process for wild silk). Local Indian wool, desi wool (desi means local in Hindi), is very popular with Indians because it is very warm to face the winter. The weavers source their supplies locally, since a community close to the Vankars in Gujarat, the Rabaris, are sheep and goat breeders and produce wool which they spin by hand. 

The wool thus spun will then form the warp (warp in English), which measures between 55 and 60 meters, intended to weave approximately 20 to 25 shawls. The warp is a set of threads which will serve as support for the weft (which in the end will be the only visible one). 600 threads are required for a wool shawl, but 1000 threads for a silk shawl. The warp is then wetted in order to more easily stretch the wool threads. As they dry, the threads are separated one by one by hand. Using a large brush, the artisans starch the warp with a paste made from flour and onions to make the wool more resistant. The threads used for the weft are dyed and also starched. The dyes used are natural and organic dyes. For example, they use tea leaves or indigo.

The artisans then weave the shawls on the loom. The patterns that decorate the shawls are specific to their community, and are passed down from generation to generation, such as the dhulki. Once the weaving is finished, the pompoms are added to the edge. These are made locally, either by the artisans' wives or in neighboring villages.

Find all our Gujarat shawls on the e-shop here