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Anushka Das
19/07/2024
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Wool has been a cornerstone of the textile industry for centuries, valued for its exceptional properties. Its natural insulation, breathability, and moisture-wicking abilities make it ideal for a wide range of clothing and home textiles, from winter apparel to luxurious furnishings. Textile technology has expanded wool's applications through innovative blends, while the industry's growing emphasis on sustainability highlights wool's renewable and eco-friendly credentials.
Derived from the coats of camels (subspecies known as the Bactrian camel), Camel wool is a type of fabric, more commonly known as camel hair. Renowned for its exceptional softness, lightness, and superior thermal insulation properties, camel wool is often used in high-end textiles such as coats, sweaters, scarves, and blankets. The natural colours of camel wool, typically shades of brown, enhance its appeal, providing a unique, earthy aesthetic to the fabrics produced from it.
The rich heritage of the Indian textile industry spanning millennia, is renowned for its diverse fibres and techniques. While cotton and silk dominate the narrative, the arid landscapes of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana offer a distinct chapter: camel wool. Positioned at the eastern periphery of the dromedary camel's range, India's camel population is primarily concentrated in these states, with Rajasthan and Gujarat serving as the epicenters of camel breeding.
While camels can be found in other Indian states, Rajasthan and Gujarat are the primary hubs for camel breeding. Renowned camel breeds like Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Kachchhi, Mewari, and Jalori thrive in these regions, contributing significantly to the rich tapestry of Rajasthan's traditional textiles. From the luxurious Pashmina to the vibrant Bandhani and intricate block prints, Rajasthan's textile heritage is deeply intertwined with the camel's role in the local ecosystem.
In the present scenario, due to changing socio-economic conditions, the purpose of camel farming has shifted somewhat to a new aspect of income generation: the production of wool and its processing into different value-added products. Wild Bactrian camels are a critically endangered species and are primarily found in the Nubra Valley of the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh.
Wild Bactrian camel hair is prized as a luxurious textile fiber, commanding prices comparable to other high-end wools such as mohair and cashmere. According to a report by Centexbel, the prices for camel fiber are 9–24 USD per kg(INR 1000/kg). It is used in the production of various items, such as shawls, pullovers, sweaters, winter garments, coats, and caps. The village cottage industry thrives on this fibre due to its long staple length and superior quality, which makes it highly suitable for processing in small-scale production.
Bactrian camels' long, woolly coats can reach nearly 10 inches in length, making them easy to spin and vary in colour from dark brown to sandy beige. They are used extensively for knitted products as well as weaving.
Camel hair, a versatile and valuable fiber, offers warmth, comfort, and a touch of luxury to the textile industry. Renowned for its warmth and lightness, camel hair is highly prized for garments. The finer fibers often blend with sheep's wool, creating a luxurious fabric for coats, jackets, scarves, and sweaters. Camel hair and wool blankets provide exceptional warmth and comfort. By embracing camel hair and supporting traditional textile artisans, consumers can contribute to a sustainable future while enjoying the timeless elegance of this natural fiber.
Camel wool cannot be carded (the process of separating the fibres of wool for spinning) due to the short length of the fibre. Blending camel hair with wool in various proportions creates unique textures and enhances the final product's attributes. These blends can lower costs and improve durability while retaining the luxurious feel of camel hair. The fibres are also comparable to cashmere, used in thick and coarse fabrics for overcoats and blankets.
Camel hair is particularly suited for overcoating and top coating, providing comfort and warmth without adding weight. These can be crafted from pure camel hair or blended with other animal fibres like wool and silk, as well as synthetic fibres. The finest textiles often comprise pure camel hair or blends with wool, enhancing the softness, beauty, colour, and lustre of the fabric.
Camel hair is also mixed with nylon to produce hosiery and other knitted products. Products made from camel hair should be dry-cleaned or hand-washed to maintain their quality. The coarse outer hair is also employed in making ropes, industrial belts, tent fabrics, and blankets.
India's rich textile history, dating back millennia, finds expression in the meticulous processing of camel wool in Kutch. Skilled shearers carefully harvest the precious fiber during early summer and post-October, a practice deeply rooted in the region's heritage. The collected raw wool then undergoes further transformation by skilled hand-spinners, continuing a tradition central to India's textile legacy.This handloom-centric process, a hallmark of the thriving Indian handloom industry, ensures the authenticity and quality of the final product.
Herders typically follow these steps to process camel wool into a marketable product:
The journey of camel hair from collection to its use in textiles is a meticulous process. During the moulting season, the camels do not shed all their hair at once. The process begins with the neck hair, followed by the mane and then the body hair, over six to eight weeks in late spring or early summer. An adult female camel produces an average of 3.5 kilograms of underhair, while a male yields around 7 kilograms. The Kharai camels in the salt marshes of Gujarat’s Kutch district produce between 300 grams and 5 kilograms of wool annually, depending on their shearing once a year.
The fibres form matted tufts that hang from the head, sides, neck and legs and are harvested by pulling or gathering the clumps shed onto the ground. Shearing before natural shedding is crucial to prevent losses, though the hair covering the humps is not shorn to protect the camels from disease.
After gathering the hair, either through shearing or collecting, it undergoes a sorting method where coarse hair is separated from the finer, softer fibres. The fibres are then thoroughly washed to remove dirt and debris accumulated during collection. The cleaned hair is subjected to a dehairing process, which removes the coarse hair, dandruff, and any vegetable matter, preparing it for spinning into yarn for weaving or knitting.
Camel hair can be dyed using either acid dyes or metal-complex dyes. This dyeing process can occur at various stages, including loose fibre form, hank form, or even fabric form.
In the textile industry, camel hair is categorised into three distinct grades based on the quality and length of the fibres:
The classification of camel hair into these grades ensures that each type of fibre is utilised appropriately, optimising the quality and application of the resulting textiles.
Rabari spinners play a crucial role in the traditional processing of raw wool. The process begins with carding the wool—a technique used to straighten and align the fibres. They carefully pull apart clumps of fibres, aligning them in a single direction to form a neat bundle known as a Puni.
Puni is a traditional term for a bunch of hand-cleaned and hand-carded fibres. These punis are similar to slivers used in a mill spinning system. The spinners then take one puni at a time and spin it into yarn, continuing the age-old practice of transforming raw wool into a material ready for weaving or knitting. Despite the widespread use of the charkha, the herdsmen of Kutch continue to practise the traditional method of drop-spindle spinning, known locally as Takli spinning.
This method is remarkably straightforward, requiring only a large pebble or a small piece of wood, typically found along their path. The simplicity of Takli spinning allows sheep and camel herdsmen to spin wool at any moment—whether resting under a tree, walking with their flocks, or managing more spirited members of the herd. This timeless practice connects them with their ancestors and continues to be a vital part of their daily lives.
Like with many other delicate fibres, the yarn is dyed unbleached. As a result, you usually find rather dark and muted colours. Most camel hair has a very uniform colour. The natural hair has a golden tan colour that may appear a bit greyish under direct light. Shades from red to brown are also possible. Textiles made from camel wool:
Tangaliya weaving is a distinctive art form characterised by the creation of intricate patterns using colourful dots that are simultaneously woven on both sides of the fabric. This unique technique is primarily employed in producing garments, but it also finds applications in shawls and blankets. The dual-sided patterning not only adds to the aesthetic appeal but also enhances the fabric's functionality and versatility. Also known as Daana weaving, a Gujarat craft—once endangered, now has a GI status.
Dhabla is the common term for woollen blanket or quilt used across Gujarat, primarily by a few indigenous weaving Kutch communities like Rabari and Bharwad. Dhabla weaving produces a versatile hand-woven quilt, a significant craftform in the Indian textile industry. This substantial and handy shawl serves multiple purposes: it acts as a windbreaker and rain cover during monsoons, a rug for sitting, and a quilt for nighttime warmth. Dhabla is vividly colourful and embellished with extra weft motifs in various shades and hues, reflecting the vibrant cultural heritage of the region.
Ludi Bandhani refers to the thick odhani (veil) known as Ludi, worn by Rabari women throughout the day. These odhanis, crafted from camel wool, adapt to the scorching days and cool nights of Kutch. The creation of a Ludi is a testament to the collaborative effort of several Indigenous communities: the Rabari community provides the hand-spun camel wool yarn and embroidery, the Meghwal community weaves the fabric, and the Khatri community performs the intricate Bandani (tie and dye) technique.
Kutchi shawls are unique products made from camel wool by skilled weavers using traditional Kutchi weaving techniques. These shawls are renowned for their exceptional quality and beauty, earning the Kutch weaver community a Geographical Indication (GI) tag to safeguard their authenticity. The GI tag ensures that the genuine craftsmanship of these shawls is recognised and protected.
The Meghwal community in Kuran traditionally crafted camel belts known as Taang for the Maldharis residing in the Pachchham and Banni regions. The Maldharis, who cherish their camels, take great delight in adorning them.
Typically, the Maldharis would spin the ropes during their leisure time while grazing cattle, and then bring these ropes to the artisans to create the camel belts. Sometimes, the Maldharis would braid the “Taang” themselves.
These belts, four inches wide and six to seven feet in length, were made using the ply-split braiding technique, utilising goat hair in natural shades of white and black. The hair was carefully sorted by colour and hand-spun into yarn. Spinning was a crucial step because, unlike weaving, where some variation in the yarn is acceptable, the yarn for the Taang had to be highly twisted and very uniform. Four strands of black and four strands of white yarn were twisted together to form a tightrope, which was then used for braiding the belts.
The Tabaria Wana is a versatile textile crafted from a blend of camel and sheep hair, showcasing the Maldhari pastoralists’ ingenuity and adaptability. Traditionally used to protect a camel's udder and double as a carry bag, it embodies the nomadic lifestyle. The yarn for this unique textile is meticulously hand-spun using the Takli spindle, a testament to the herders' time-honored skills.
Remarkably, the Tabaria Wana is woven entirely without a loom, employing the weaver's own body as the tool. Legs, thighs, and hands work in harmony to create this intricate fabric, a technique born out of necessity in a nomadic lifestyle. This body-woven textile not only serves a practical purpose but also stands as a symbol of the Maldhari community’s cultural heritage and resilience.
Namda, or felting, is an ancient craft predating spinning and weaving. Nomadic tribes across Asia and Europe have long utilized this technique with wool from camels and sheep. In India's Kutch region, the Pinjara and Mansuri communities excel in creating Namda using indigenous wool.
The process involves cleaning and dyeing wool, which is then layered, moistened, and repeatedly rolled to create a dense, felted fabric. This technique exploits wool's unique ability to interlock under pressure. Traditionally used for saddles and rainwear, Namda has evolved to encompass a range of products, including rugs, mats, and mattresses. Today, it remains a vital part of the nomadic lifestyle, with saddle blankets for livestock being a common use.
Today, the number of artisans in each of these crafts is either in single or double digits. Many NGOs are nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit amongst weavers to sustain and preserve the magnificent camel wool crafts. These organisations are proving to be helping hands in providing services to foster a spirit towards business development—by sourcing the yarn, training weavers to dye, offering design development training, and facilitating craft exhibitions.
Collaboration with designers and fashion houses to create unique designs using camel wool, so that this will create awareness around the product and attract a wider customer base. The product demonstration is another important strategy by which the products are showcased in malls, trade shows and other public areas to educate end users about the benefits of camel wool. By promoting the timeless appeal of camel wool textiles, these slow fashion initiatives aim to revive a rich heritage while creating sustainable livelihoods for artisans.
Online portals and e-commerce platforms where people can purchase camel wool products online and also become aware of the story behind the product they are purchasing can prove to be another strategic step for marketing camel wool products in the market.
The probable use of eco-friendly packaging materials to showcase the sustainable nature of camel wool would attract consumers from all corners of the globe. This helps to differentiate the product from other wool products on the market and will appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.
By revitalising the camel wool textile industry, we have the potential to empower millions of rural artisans while promoting sustainable and ethical production. With concerted efforts from the government, market leaders, and NGOs, this sector can flourish, preserving traditional craftsmanship and contributing significantly to India's economic and environmental goals.
- If you find this in-depth piece informative enough, then here’s a few more recommendations by the author. She’s written on Muga Silk, tribal textiles of Assam. In another vein, she also talks about the role of fashion in our identities—collective, individual and cultural.
- If you’re a fashion design student or fresh graduate, then this 101 guide for fashion design students and professionals on making effective fashion design brief is your go-to resource.
- Need help on how to make a fashion design portfolio? Read this article.
- Watch Archana Shastri, former director of Cambodia's Traditional Textile Museum, discuss sustainable textiles at the IIAD Graduate Show 2024.
About The Author
Anushka Das, a distinguished Textile Design graduate from NIFT, New Delhi, boasts over 15 years of expertise in the textile and fashion domain. Having worked alongside esteemed designers Neeru Kumar and Ritu Kumar as Head Designer, she led numerou ... s design collections for both domestic and international clients.
In 2010, she launched her label, Anushka-Annasuya, emphasizing Indian aesthetics fused with contemporary trends. Anushka collaborates with renowned brands like Fabindia, Jaypore, and Ajio for apparel and home design. During the pandemic, she co-designed the Anzen and Fiori range of fabric masks to support handloom weavers.
Her remarkable contributions extend to projects with the Ministry of Textiles and various NGOs, uplifting artisans and promoting traditional crafts. Anushka’s passion for sustainability reflects in her brand’s philosophy of zero waste, and she continually strives to integrate crafts into modern lifestyles. As a respected jury member and consultant, shleaves an indelible mark on the fashion landscape.
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