India Store
During my travels in India, I marvel at the overwhelming beauty and high aesthetic standard of almost everything whether is it contemporary textiles, stone carvings, stacks of glittering glass bangles, the vibrant colours of Hindu puja paint, or the ornate organization of vegetables in a market. As a photographer, India is a constant parade of colour, texture and intricate design. No matter what Indians make they seem to bring centuries of craftsmanship and devotion to their products. I love to bring presents back for my friends and more recently have brought back a few selected products to sell.
Please select the slideshows below to see a selection of products for sale.
A word about shawls:
There is simply nothing that feels quite like it. The touch of pashmina on the skin creates a uniquely luxurious feeling of understated, gently sensual warmth. They keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. I buy shawls from people I trust and whose families have produced the shawls for generations. It is a cottage industry that is threatened by corporate agricultural policies and political unrest. It has taken centuries of experimentation and refinement to raise shawl-making from a necessity in bitterly cold winters of Kashmir to a unique textile art. The best Kashmiri shawls are made from the soft, downy undercoat that grows on the neck and belly of the Himalayan mountain goat, Capra hircus. The name that Kashmiris give to the fiber from Capra hircus is pashm, which is the Persian word for "wool." What makes the Kashmiri shawls superior is not only the fineness of the individual pashm fibers, but also meticulous cleaning, sorting, dehairing and hand spinning. These are all manual skills, perfected by Kashmiri women and passed down through generations since the late 16th century, the time when the Mughal emperors began to encourage the shawl industry.
My collection of shawls are all hand-spun; either hand-woven or loom-woven (some have taken over a year to make), and range in quality from basic cashmere to luxury pashmina shawls. Most are a natural goat colour (a myriad of creams/beiges/browns/greys), although I do have a few dyed ones. Most of the shawls are plain, while some have simple embroidered borders and a few are entirely covered with silk embroidery so fine that you can't tell one side from another. These are a gift of a lifetime.
Kashmiri Shawls slideshow
A word about the bags:
These handwoven market bags are seen on the arms of ordinary Indians across Karnataka state. The designs include depictions of fun local fauna and flora, as well as Hindu deities like Ganesh, and are constructed from strong natural fibers in a myriad of colours that makes them strong and durable.
Mysore Market Bags slideshow
To see arrange for a viewing, please contact me at: info@eltonyoga.com
or +44 (0) 7714 328 055