STORY OF MUSLIN

History

Muslin’s history is rich, complex and beyond what is attributed to a simple craft. A cloth so fine that at various times in recorded history it was described as ‘woven air’ and ‘the skin of the moon’. The Mughals called it ‘mul-mul’. The English traded, exploited and exterminated the cloth. Its true history deserves to be told.

Process and Techniques

Muslin’s manufacture involved sixteen complex processes which were carried out by different castes, religion, gender, age and communities of which spinning yarn and weaving the flowered and figured (jamdani) muslin were most prized.

Today’s ‘Muslin’

The Bengal muslin industry was decimated by the policies of the East India Company. Using phuti karpas (a 70% match) spun in India, we have recreated saris up to 400 count in their original motifs.

Muslin Anecdotes

William Bolt wrote in 1770, in his “Consideration on Indian Affairs”, that the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, once chastised his daughter for being naked although the princess was fully clothed in seven layers of muslin.

Our achievements so far

Our research resulted in the Muslin Festival in Dhaka (2016) which launched the true story of muslin. It included an exhibition, a publication, ‘new muslin’ saris of 300 count, seminars and later a film show.

Muslin is historically defined as being a cotton fabric that originated in ancient Eastern Bengal (presently Bangladesh). It was woven from the fine yarn of a special plant, ‘phuti karpas‘ and was considered unique for its extraordinary lightness and distinctive motifs.