Patola: Pattern Before Weaving

Most printed or dyed textiles are patterned after they are woven. Patola is the opposite: its pattern exists before the cloth does.

Ikat — tie-dyeing the thread

Patola belongs to the family of ikat textiles. Bundles of yarn are marked, tied and dyed section by section, following a plan of the finished design. When those dyed threads are set up on the loom and woven, the pattern emerges.

Single and double ikat

• Double ikat — in the renowned Patola of Patan, both the warp (lengthwise threads) and the weft (crosswise threads) are dyed this way. The weaver must align them precisely as the cloth grows, which is why the pattern appears the same on both sides.
• Single ikat — in single-ikat Patola, the pattern is dyed into the weft alone, while the warp is a single colour. Single-ikat Patola is associated with the Rajkot region of Gujarat.

Why Patola is treasured

Every stage of Patola — planning, tying, dyeing, aligning and weaving — asks for extraordinary patience. Historically, Gujarati Patola was prized far beyond India and traded across the seas. Today, a Patola saree is still the kind of piece that is kept for a lifetime and handed down.

Caring for Patola

Silk Patola should be dry-cleaned. Store it folded in soft cotton or muslin, and refold it along different lines every few months.

Explore our Patola collection.