Reversible Quilted Itajime Silk Chapan | alluvial

A bold tribute to this quintessential Central Asian long coat. A reversible, relaxed-fit chapan crafted from an outer of itajime clamp-dyed silk, a lining of plain-dyed silk satin, and padded with light cotton wadding. The quilting is hand-embroidered by our kantha artisans. The coat is soft, light, and gently padded - warm and comfortable, with quiet elegance and a whole lot of character.

 

• The chapan is a traditional Central Asian coat; our design is modelled on a vintage piece I picked up in Tajikistan, as a salute to this unique form. Crafted using narrow panels through the body to create natural flare in the silhouette
• Relaxed fit
• Fully reversible: one side in bold geometric itajime patterning, the reverse in plain-dyed silk with removable labels
• Closes with a single, hand-beaten brass button
• Full length
• Dropped shoulders with long, tapered sleeves designed to roll back and reveal the contrast reverse
• Crafted in habutai silk dyed in the itajime shibori technique
• Each 3m piece of fabric is folded, clamped and dyed by hand, so there are slight variations in colour and pattern between pieces
• All orders come lovingly packed in recycled silk bags

• One size: fits SM-LXL comfortably
  • Length centre front 50”   
  • Chest 42” round
  • Hip 52” round
  • Sleeve length 24”, armhole 22“ round and cuff 14” round

+/- a tolerance inherent to hand made clothing

• Fabric: 100% silk outer & inner; 100% cotton wadding
• Handfeel: Super soft & silky, with gentle rippling texture from the quilting
• Care: Dry clean
• Origin: Gujarat, India

 

 

Textile Story

 

Our Itajime Silk Collection has been hand-crafted in the workshop of two of India's foremost Master Craftsmen; Jabbar and Abdullah Khatri in Bhuj, Gujarat.

 

Shibori is a 1300 year old tie and dye technique developed in Japan involving the folding and clamping or otherwise securing of fabric prior to dyeing. Itajime is one technique of shibori which uses pieces of wood clamped together around sections of folded fabric to resist the dye in particular shapes.

 

Each three meter section of fabric is individually folded, clamped, tied and dyed; and this repeated several times to get layers of colours. It's a time consuming and exacting technique with bold geometric results. 

 

Any variations or irregularities are to be celebrated. They are part of the design & inherent to the handcrafted production process, making this item beautifully unique.