Kashmir Loom in the Fabric of India at V&A
The Fabric of India, organised by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London from 3 October 2015 to 10 January 2016, was the first major exhibition to explore the rich and fascinating world of handmade textiles from India. Many of the pieces seen in both the exhibition and the book have been brought out of storage since it was acquired in the nineteenth century. The exhibition features some of the finest and most fascinating textiles from the V&A and collections across the world to illustrate the processes, history, and politics associated with these incredible objects.
The focus of the exhibition has been to appreciate pieces of over 10,000 years old from India to be appreciated alongside contemporary works. Along with showcasing exquisite and rare pieces from their collection, this exhibition aimed to highlight the progress and innovation of Indian designers and makers who are adopting new ways of using traditional skills and materials, by not only contributing to India’s growing profile as a leading hub of contemporary design and its economic profile but also its very identity as a nation. The Fabric of India shows how India’s great tradition of textile making has shaped the nation and the wider world, in the present as much as the historic past.
Kashmir Loom Shawls at The Fabric of India
Kashmir Loom was proud to have two shawls from its collection displayed for the Fabric of India exhibition at the V&A Museum. The first shawl was our Gulraz Shawl, a revival collection piece which aimed at reimagining the design of a 18th century pashmina shawl fragment (Accession No. IS.139-1984 from the V&A Museum collection).
The other shawl was Dona Palla Shawl from our contemporary collection. A Kashmir Loom classic, this shawl features asymmetrical borders of colour on either end highlighted with metallic bands, enhanced by a classic diamond weave. It reflects the contemporary reinterpretation of classic Kashmiri shawls: minimalistic, tailored to suit modern tastes and versatile styling. The use of metallic thread in pashmina weaving comes with the brilliant innovation by our cofounder Jenny Housego, who, some 20 years ago, collaborated with master artisans of Kashmir. They created these double-sided design feature, incorporating hues of gold, silver, and copper on one side, and a soft, natural finish on the reverse.
Exhibition Catalogue
The subsequent publication The Fabric of India, edited by Rosemary Crill and published in 2015, references Kashmir Loom as part of the new wave of fashion, noting:
‘An equally high-quality recreation of Kashmir shawls with Mughal designs has been achieved by Kashmir Loom, a company run by Jenny Housego and brothers, Asaf, Hamid and Zahid Ali. From their workshops in Kashmir they also produce highly desirable contemporary pieces using simple stripes, block colours and metallic thread, which are popular in the West.’
