The Influence of the British Raj on Indian Clothing and Textiles
Introduction:
The British had a huge influence on Indian fashions, and brought a whole new form of dressing up with them. People started wearing jackets instead of just draping shawls.
Indian fashion never had collars earlier, but now Indian clothing became more structured. Clothes were cut in a Western pattern. The younger men and women dressed in the European way, and began showing more skin.
Women, who were unable to wear Western dresses, styled their cholis to match the latest fashion trends in the West. In the 1920s, while the Charleston dresses were the height of fashion in Europe, Indian women’s cholis were long-sleeved in lace, satin, or silk.
During the Independence struggle in the late 1940s, people were encouraged to throw away foreign goods and the wearing of home spun Khadi became the height of fashion.
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Khadi
Khadi is made of raw cotton silk or wool which is spun into threads on a spinning
wheel called a “Charkha.”
Mahatma Gandhi began encouraging the spinning of Khadi as a way of rebelling against the British who flooded the Indian market with cheap foreign-made clothes, thereby, bankrupting the poor Indian cotton farmers.
Khadi became a symbol for the freedom struggle of India, and after independence from the British, the Indian flag was made out of Khadi material.
Today, Khadi is widely used in high-fashion garments.
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Description: Khadi.
Physical Properties: A hand-spun, organic cloth made of cotton, silk, or wool.
Length: 716cm. Width: 539cm.
Place of Manufacture: India.
Current Location: Unknown.
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The Choli
The choli or the “woman’s blouse” is believed to have come into existence with the many European colonial powers that occupied a huge section of the Indian subcontinent.
The British did influence women’s clothing to a great extent.
Indian ladies that came from a high society started wearing long-sleeved blouses with frills, which was extremely similar to the Victorian upper garment, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (Ajit Bhimsen. Para 8)
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Description: The choli.
Physical Properties: A blouse that shows off a woman’s midriff. The choli has short sleeves, and a low neck. It is cut to fit tightly to the body.
Place of Manufacture: India.
The above still shot was taken from a Bollywood movie.
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Garments made of hand-painted cotton fabrics
(18th century)
On this fabric, there is informality and naturalistic feel to the way the floral pattern is drawn.
This whole style of fabric painting inspired the design for the floral wallpapers that became very fashionable in the eighteenth century.
There is a restrained use of color; red and violet are the major shades.
This style didn’t come into existence until the British Raj.
The fabric was made in India, under the influence of British designs. (Kumar. Page 52)
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Description: Fabric made out of hand-painted cotton.
Physical Properties: restrained use of color, and lots of floral designs.
Place of Manufacture: India – Influenced by the British.
Century: 18th century.
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Here is the worksited for this presentation:
Krish - Work Cited.doc
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Krish
