MARCELMILLER LUXURY HANDCRAFTED
Handmade textiles have a very rich and diverse tradition. The interaction of cultures — South American, Indian and European — throughout history has built a global textile culture that is resplendent with variety, style, and craftsmanship. Today handmade fabrics are highly desired for their excellent workmanship and distinctive heirloom character. There are literally hundreds of renowned handmade textiles. A few of our favorite inspirational fabrics are profiled below.
Peruvian Homespun and Handlooms
Ancient Peruvian weavers mastered practically every known method of weaving. This unparalleled mastery of the craft was due in part to the high social status afforded to skilled weavers by early Peruvian society. Consequently, there are thousands of techniques, styles, and designs, which vary by region, state and even villages. Cotton was the principal fiber of early Peruvians. However, in 1901, Peru’s cotton industry was almost totally devastated by the deadly “Cotton wilt” fungus. In 1911, an Eco-friendly local cotton that produced a naturally disease resistant fiber was developed. Today Tangüis cotton, as it became known, is the preferred variety of the Peruvian handloom textile industry. The highlands of Peru from Arequipa to Cusco are also famous for their fine luxury wools, particularly Alpaca.
Until recently, most homespun and handloom cotton was produced to satisfy local demand. MARCELMILLER was one of the first US boutique brands to forge an exclusive partnership with Artisan Co-ops based in Arequipa and Lima to preserve and revitalize the Peruvian handloom textile traditions. Since 1999, we have worked tirelessly to develop and promote handloom and homespun Tangüis cotton and hand-knitted Baby Alpaca. Over the years, after numerous failures and much frustration, we and our local partners have simplified classic handloom techniques, mastered natural dyes, and refined homespun textures with Eco-friendly washes. Today, our award-winning PUR Collection of handmade coverlets, shams, pillows and throws, is a testament to our enduring love affair with Peruvian Handlooms.
Indian Handmade Textiles
Embroidery
Chikan, the most renowned form of Lucknow handmade embroidery, originated as a court craft, during the reign of the Mughal. The procedure for making Chikan varies. However, it typically begins with cutting the woven fabric in the required length. Designs are then traced on the marked fabric with blocks featuring the desired motifs. The block is dipped in Neel [a natural dye] and printed on the cut fabric. The embroiderer uses the printed outlines as a pattern. Great skill is required to embroider the intricate designs. Kantha originated in Bangladesh and West Bengal in the 17th century. The original Kantha was a “patched cloth” with tiny running stitches, made from recycled saris. Today village women use Kantha stitching to embroider together treasured fabric pieces, layered to make light heirloom quilts, usually made of cotton and linen.
Indienne derives its name from the beautiful and brightly colored flower and animal cotton prints originally imported through the French East Indian Company from Indian in the 17th Century. These brightly colored and intricately patterned Indian prints, became very popular among the wealthy.
Indienne derives its name from the beautiful and brightly colored flower and animal cotton prints originally imported through the French East Indian Company from Indian in the 17th Century. These brightly colored and intricately patterned Indian prints, became very popular among the wealthy.
Block Prints
In India, Block Printed Textiles were developed in the fourteenth century. Aesthetics and techniques vary by state. For generations, Rajasthan has been the source for exquisite block prints. Called Sanganer, this fine form of hand block printing requires considerable skill. Each new design must first be hand carved on a block by a master artisan. A single piece of fabric may require hundreds of separate imprints. The highly sought Sanganer prints of Jaipur, Nandana prints of Madhya Pradesh and Batiks of Bengal provide unlimited choice of motifs and designs on a variety of fabrics. Today their popularity has re-surged as Indian artisan have updated timeless designs to appeal to contemporary aesthetics.
In the past, a large number of men were engaged in the textile trade. However, the craft is now pre-dominantly practiced by highly skilled women artisans. Since 2005, MARCELMILER has been collaborating with a select artisan cooperative in Lucknow, creating award-winning handmade quilts, coverlets and decorative pillows. Each individual item is painstakingly crafted using traditional, labor-intensive, manual techniques. We finish our handmade quilts with our signature Vintage Wash, imparting gorgeous texture, lovely heirloom character, and signature MARCELMILLER refinement.
French Handmade Fabrics
Handmade French Country fabrics have become textile treasures. French Homespun and hand weaves were perfected during the 18th and 19th century. They primarily consist of loosely woven cotton, linen, hemp or wool, spun by hand and woven by master weavers on manual looms, which have remain essentially unchanged for centuries.
Classic French handmade textile designs were generally limited to solids, stripes or checks. Because of the narrow loom, there was often a seam on larger pieces of Homespun fabrics, and the texture was not as smooth and regular as industrial weaves. Some classic designs, particularly the traditional stripe patterns have become iconic and are now immediately recognized as quintessentially French. The traditional mattress ticking, with the most common colors being blue or gray and the grain sack design of stripes in different widths mainly in blue, pink, creams and beige. French Boutis is basically whole cloth that is corded and stuffed, and was originally used as covers or quilts for beds. Previously called ‘Broderie de Marseille’ in the 17th and 18th centuries, it has also become known by Provencal women as Boutis. Boutis can also be in patterned prints and are much collected today. These classic French Country handmade fabrics have become are mostly used to cover cushions for chairs, daybeds and sofas. Authentic vintage pieces have become very valuable to textile collectors and are source of endless design inspiration to our trade.
