Future plans

‘One must have complete faith on the wheel.  The first pass will produce 200 count.  The second pass will produce 300 count.  To produce enough 500 count yarn for one sari, it easily takes three to four months …’

– Joytish Debnath, Master Spinner, Murshidabad, India

‘New Muslin’ weaver focussed on recreating the past glory.

It is a story that needs to be remembered and and art that has to be revived. Muslin was a wondrous textile that had enchanted the globe, the cotton of which our farmers had grown, while our women and men had spun and woven their way into the pinnacle of fashion. Every opportunity to educate an audience through the book, film, graphic novel and discussions/interviews/social media will be taken. Support will be extended to all those who wish to take the message forward.

Building Awareness
Every opportunity to educate an audience through the book, film, graphic novel and discussions/interviews/social media will be taken. Support will be extended to others who wish to take the message forward.

Cotton Research
The original cotton plant cannot be traced and specimens in herbariums cannot be revived.  It is now believed that the original plant, Phuti Karpas, is extinct.  The project is thus researching other plants that are closest in characteristics and nature to the original plant.  Samples have been grown and their cotton has been included into the yarn brought from India.

Process Development
The manual process of spinning and weaving the cotton for muslin is complicated, time consuming and painstaking.  The passage of time has also resulted in the loss of weavers and spinners skilled in manufacturing this fabric.  Along with technical innovations the Bengal Muslin project is training, developing and nurturing a new generation of spinners and weavers who will replicate the delicate yarn that was produced by our artists of legend.

Knowledge Platform
Creation of a knowledge platform on Muslin is planned.  As our information on muslin is enhanced this platform will include and store all information on what we know so that it can be accessed for use by individual and institutional researchers – all books, journals, articles, expert opinions, professional write-ups from different organizations, agricultural and economic facts, audio visual content, original research papers.  The information will be available for anyone who is interested in Muslin.

Market Introduction
That muslin was ‘a global brand’ is unquestionable since the fabric dominated world trade for centuries.  However, the value of the brand has to be retained and muslin’s uniqueness needs to be reintroduced to the international markets.  The Bengal Muslin project intends to introduce the cloth to both classical wear (saris) and future attire.