Still the most fearsome predator in all of Bangladesh, the Bengal tigers impact on culture and design can be seen across Southeast Asia, from art and music, to fashion and architecture. These majestic and ferocious animals have fascinated mankind for thousands of years, worming its way into the lives of everyday people, often times right under our noses, without arousing suspicion. At Neval, we’ve always been fascinated by the beauty this animal inspires, which is why we were delighted to uncover that one of the principle design motives featured in our fabric, is in fact inspired by the Bengal Tiger!
While industrialization and the exponential growth of urban areas around Dhaka have forced tigers out of Sonargaon, they once roamed freely amongst the Golden Village. The weavers ancestors knew the sight of this fearsome predator well, and paid homage to it by incorporating the print into their work. Because the trade is passed down through bloodlines, the print within the fabric lives on even though most in Sonargaon have never seen a tiger in real life. Its this fascinating history and lineage that makes the process of creating Jamdani fabric so interesting.
It also led us to question the history and storytelling behind other fabrics and textiles that are used all over the world. If such a unique tale was lingering right under our noses, what other stories behind the fabric are out there, just waiting to be told? We’ll explore and document our findings in our #StoriesWoven series over the coming months. Stay tuned!
While industrialization and the exponential growth of urban areas around Dhaka have forced tigers out of Sonargaon, they once roamed freely amongst the Golden Village. The weavers ancestors knew the sight of this fearsome predator well, and paid homage to it by incorporating the print into their work. Because the trade is passed down through bloodlines, the print within the fabric lives on even though most in Sonargaon have never seen a tiger in real life. Its this fascinating history and lineage that makes the process of creating Jamdani fabric so interesting.
It also led us to question the history and storytelling behind other fabrics and textiles that are used all over the world. If such a unique tale was lingering right under our noses, what other stories behind the fabric are out there, just waiting to be told? We’ll explore and document our findings in our #StoriesWoven series over the coming months. Stay tuned!
RSS Feed
