This story is provided by MarketPlace of India. Visit their website here.

MarketPlace is proud of its Kalamkari products, which beautifully combine respect for Indian traditions with respect for the environment.   Indigenous to the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, Kalamkari is an ancient method of dyeing cotton fabric with natural dyes and techniques.  As early as the 10th C. CE Kalamkari textiles were sent to Persia, and later formed an important part of the Spice Trade, reaching Southeast Asia and Europe.  Local rulers and temples were also patrons.  Traditional Kalamkari designs reflect the influences of all these different markets, with a wide variety of enchanting floral and geometric motifs.  Our Kalamkari fabrics are made by hand, the old-fashioned way, with hand-carved wooden stamps, dyes prepared from native flowers, plants, seed, fruits, and other organic ingredients, and as many as 17 steps in a complicated mordant dyeing process.  The natural ingredients are all local, plentiful and renewable, and the dyeing and rinsing processes do not contribute chemical dyes to groundwater and rivers.  MarketPlace uses these beautiful hand-block printed fabrics to fashion a variety of clothing, including jackets, tops, skirts, and kaftans, such as the one pictured here.  All are made from natural, cool, comfortable cotton – no synthetic textiles or artificial substances allowed next to your skin or in your environment.