Byloom is a space that celebrates India’s handloom and handicraft traditions. The march towards modernity has endangered many weaving and craft techniques in India. At Byloom the attempt is to give these crafts an identity and ensure that they are attractive enough to hold their own against global fashion trends.
Since we opened our doors in April, 2011, Byloom has realized that a store is no longer a physical space and there is now the need of a virtual store, one that is accessible to all patrons, be it in Dallas or Dhaka, Chennai or Chandigarh. Many of our customers are not from Kolkata, and yet they want access to the weaves and designs that make Byloom such a special store. It is a moment of deep satisfaction for us that a store that prides itself in only selling handmade, handwoven goods has captured the imagination of the young and old alike. This website tries to capture the spirit of the store and we hope that the images help you to make your choices with as much ease as you would have if you were at our stores in Hindustan Park and Salt Lake.
It is important for us to spread the beauty of Bengal’s and indeed India’s weaves to all corners of the globe. Designs, brands and styles from all over the world are making their way to India. That is a fantastic development, but equally, we need to use the same tools of information technology and connectivity to showcase India’s beautiful, timeless classics in all their seven yards of splendour.
Over the last decade the sari, the kurta, the dupatta are all disappearing from the urban landscape. Smart is synonymous with westernwear, while Indian styles, fabrics and garments are seen as a compromise with sartorial standards or at best an option at a wedding or religious ceremony. Saris in particular are disappearing from parties, offices, even kitty parties and indeed from the streets of metros and even small town India. What’s to stop the next generation from discarding the sari, and then Indian fabric, from their wedding trousseau and indeed their wedding day?
Today, Indian women have many more options as to what to wear and that is a wonderful thing. Ideally their wardrobe should be becoming more diverse, with kurtas, skirts, saris and skinny jeans jostling for space. Instead, it sees the saris, kurtas and dupattas being replaced by a homogenous look that has nothing to do with India.
Byloom Online hopes to re-introduce the beauty of Indian wear in contemporary styles and weaves back to your wardrobe. After all, a truly stylish person embraces the world without forgetting her roots. This is byloom’s virtual gift to that person, you.
bailou stands for the spirit of expression. It’s a feeling…..
Since the conceptualization of bailou the focus has been handwoven textiles. The ability to create different textures and fabrics is what attracted Rumi and Bappaditya Biswas to hand weaves initially. However, as time went by, a greater responsibility led to a lifelong commitment – to help keeping alive the tradition of weaving.
Bailou believes adaptation and modification are the keys to the survival of this craft. Over the centuries, weavers have always adapted to demands of the market and we must ensure that they are able to now keep pace with changing lifestyles and modern sensibilities.
Keeping their traditional skills intact in order to preserve their identity has been a focus of bailou as this ensures the knowledge and the skill being passed over to the next generation as the next generation learns the special skills and techniques only while working.
Thus bailou has been engaged in creating modern contemporary textiles using traditional techniques and infusing them with a new colour palette and textures by blending various yarns not traditional to the area. Our constant effort to open up new markets has led to lot of modification and adaptation in forms and product diversification. Scarves, Sarees, fashion fabrics, Curtains, furnishings, bed spreads( hand woven and then hand quilted), throws, cushions, runners, mats, towels, etc, offering a whole lifestyle.
Working with various groups in Bengal specializing in different techniques like the JAMDANI (extra weft technique), DOUBLE CLOTHS, TRIPLE CLOTHS and FINE & COARSE COTTON MUSLINS and the plain TABBY WEAVE and our effort to push the boundaries of weaves has helped incorporate the surface embellished look through weaves. Sometimes trapping sequins and fabric in between layers of double cloth or introducing sequins in the weave by Jamdani technique, printing the warp threads with old blocks, playing with the opacity and transparency by mixing different yarns, playing with different fabric structure by intervening at the various pre loom processing stages has helped create fabrics that look different and at the same time has the essence of it’s traditional root.
Appreciation and acceptance from various corners of the globe has strengthened our belief and also the trust of the weavers in us which has helped to develop a strong collaboration. Recognition from UNESCO in form of THE SEAL OF EXCELLENCE for craft has further enhanced our drive to show to the world the infinite possibilities of handwoven textiles. The concept of being self-sufficient and the right for individual expression is what handloom has stood for and BAI LOU stands by it to help continue this tradition that supports the livelihood of so many craftsmen.
