Surkh-Siyah: The Bagru Collection

Surkh-Siyah, translates to Red- Black in Urdu language.

Our very frst series - Surkh- Siyah, Te Bagru Collection holds a very special place in our hearts. Te collection is lovingly dedicated to our precious hand block printing artisans from Bagru village. Tey play a strong part in developing the creations we make. Hadn’t it been their generosity and dedication, we would not have been able to put the print in our roots. Tis collection is to share and celebrate the crafsmanship of our skilled artisans.

The Bagru Collection brings to you the traditional practices of Bagru hand block printing. The 450 years old printing technique is popular for its red and black bold strokes of motifs in foral and geometric patterns. Taking inspiration from nature, the motifs were developed according to the observation and creativity of the printers and block makers. Te surroundings were made into simplifed design blocks and a story was printed onto the fabric. Some of the popular motifs of traditional Bagru printing are phool booti, mandana, kairi, tribhuj, nritya, airavat, kamal, paan patta, chaukdi, chaukor etc. These are the local names given by the makers to their creations.

The infamous Bagru black and red colors are locally termed as syahi and begar. The red color is derived from a mixture of natural resources like alum, arabic gum and alizarin. The black color is derived from a mixture of jaggery and iron. To obtain these colors is a long and tedious process. With our collection, we bring in some earthy bedsheets, graceful sarees & dupattas and fabrics from the experienced crafsmen of Bagru. Te creations of the collection are designed keeping in mind the modern sensibilities of the consumers yet not losing the essence of the traditional printing practice. To look and shop from our Surkh- Siyah collection, click here. (https:// www.theprintroots.com/)