Swathe yourself in handprinted India x US scarves
LA-based accessories label Block Shop is collaborating with Indian artisans to craft vibrant handprinted scarves.
Tucked away in the northern Indian municipality of Bagru, Rajasthan, the ancient art of hand block printing has been passed down through the generations for more than 350 years. The masterful artisans work with natural mineral and vegetable dyes, printing one piece at a time with hand-carved wooden blocks. A cooperative of these creatives has now collaborated with two sisters based in the US to craft lightweight printed scarves perfect for Brisbane weather. Organic ingredients like pomegranate skins and turmeric are printed on to a raw fabric of Indian silk and cotton, before being left to dry in Bagru’s communal drying field, while the non-toxic wastewater is recycled as greywater irrigation.
Based in Los Angeles, the two sisters behind Block Shop, Lily and Hopie Stockman, invest a portion of the proceeds from every scarf sold into a local community fund, which benefits the block carvers, dye mixers, master printers, seamstresses and dhobiwalas and their families. In January this year, the founders were able to sponsor Bagru’s first mobile healthcare clinic, which has offered eyecare treatment to more than 200 residents. Eye off the dreamy Block Shop threads right here and have them shipped directly to your door.