Ikat

An exploration and celebration of ikat around the world, brimful of vibrant fabrics, stunning costumes and inspiring detail. In this richly illustrated book, stylist and designer Catherine Legrand explores her enduring fascination with ikat, a distinctive type of fabric woven from resist-dyed thread. Rooted in centuries-old tradition, it remains strikingly contemporary in its visual power. From rare antique French ‘flammé’ textiles to the regions where ikat is still practised today, the book traces the places, processes and people that sustain this demanding technique. It highlights not only the cloth itself but also the expertise behind it: the weavers, dyers and collaborative networks of makers whose knowledge, patience and precision make each piece possible. Informed by the latest textile scholarship yet guided by the author’s own encounters and eye, this book is both homage and investigation – a clear-eyed celebration of ikat and of the human skill that keeps its thread unbroken.

An exploration and celebration of ikat around the world, brimful of vibrant fabrics, stunning costumes and inspiring detail. In this richly illustrated book, stylist and designer Catherine Legrand explores her enduring fascination with ikat, a distinctive type of fabric woven from resist-dyed thread. Rooted in centuries-old tradition, it remains strikingly contemporary in its visual power. From rare antique French ‘flammé’ textiles to the regions where ikat is still practised today, the book traces the places, processes and people that sustain this demanding technique. It highlights not only the cloth itself but also the expertise behind it: the weavers, dyers and collaborative networks of makers whose knowledge, patience and precision make each piece possible. Informed by the latest textile scholarship yet guided by the author’s own encounters and eye, this book is both homage and investigation – a clear-eyed celebration of ikat and of the human skill that keeps its thread unbroken.