FASHION / EXISTENCE/ MYTH -- Skirt and Purse Object Highlight

We featured this skirt and purse in the exhibition:
FASHION / EXISTENCE / MYTH
narratives about health, bodies, and the fashion system
Opened starting February 2023
Mary Alice Gallery, Iowa State University
1015 Morrill Hall
Skirt
100% Cotton, embroidered, sequins
ca. 1975, Indonesian
TCM Object ID 2008.24.11
Purse
Kashmir, embroidery
Before 1963, Indian
TCM Object ID 0640
People in different ethnic groups use dress to create a shared sense of community. For example, the black skirt on display from Indonesia reflects silhouette, dyeing, and embellishment techniques frequently used in this community. Batik, a wax-resisted dyeing process, was used to create the geometric pattern on the skirt. Batik is an ancient artisan craft found throughout Indonesia, which has its origins in Java, Indonesia. The craft has been taught for generations and is quite time consuming. First, the artisan sketches the design on paper. Then, they transfer the design to cloth and use wax to trace the design. The fabric is then immersed in a dye bath, and the parts without wax are dyed. The process can be repeated for additional colors.
Kashmir is a traditional embroidery technique from India that dates to the sixteenth century. This embroidery style is used on many textiles including, shawls, blouses, sarees, tablecloths, and accessories such as the purse on display. This embroidery style became popular outside of India in various parts of Europe and other Asian countries such as Iran. As the embroidery style gained popularity in different regions, weavers incorporated new motifs to reflect aspects of their ethnic identity. For instance, in Iran, crafts people combined the Kashmir-style embroidery with the buta, a popular Iranian motif that symbolizes life and fertility. The batik designs and Kashmir embroideries are long-standing traditions that assist in creating a shared cultural identity through the textiles.