Indian block printing in US

Artist Rebecca Layton brings the ancient art of Indian wood block printing to a present-day fashion

fair and sustainable business model. Layton spent years studying the detailed methods of this art form while living in Jaipur, where block printing on fabric has been practiced for centuries. Layton’s company, Rekh & Datta, uses her modern, timeless designs to make subtle voile fabrics for an original line of clothes, accessories and housewares. The launch of Rekh & Datta is featured as a Kickstarter campaign that will run through January 10, 2014.

Layton employs artisans from the local villages near Jaipur, India. The Hindi words rekh and datta are technical printing terms meaning line and shape. Each wood block is carved by hand and each block is hand-printed with sustainable dyes on Indian cotton by hand, one block for each colour. The geometric prints are partly inspired by the modernists of the earlier 20th century: the Bauhaus weavers, the textiles of the Wiener Werkstatte, and the patterns of Sonia Delaunay.

Layton first studied block printing in India in 2005, later returning in 2010 to study as a Fulbright scholar. During her travels in India, Layton met Polish designer Monika Jakubiak. With Jakubiak’s help, Layton has transformed her collection of soft, hand-printed cotton voiles into light-hearted, airy dresses and tops.