When compared to developed nations, India may be poorer in terms of wealth and civility. However, what factors set India apart from the rest of the globe in terms of wealth? - It's the culture, customs, traditions, faith, and languages that make it so rich.

The knowledge and excellent artwork that once existed in India are now forgotten and overlooked, but we become aware of the significance of our rich culture when the West starts to commend something that we previously had firsthand experience with.

There are numerous instances of cultural appropriation by the West that India has endured throughout history. One such that has been forgotten yet cherished in history is the Indian print ‘Chintz’. It's possible that you misinterpreted or imagined that these prints originated in the West. But when we look back and search through texts, we discover that it originated exactly here, in the country of a thousand weaves.

The Genesis -

Indian Chintz is said to have originated in the 16th century in the rural area of Machilipatnam, formerly known as Musulipatnam, in Andhra Pradesh, close to the Coromandel coast in Southeast India. It is an Indian cotton fabric that has been hand-drawn with a bamboo pen (kalam) and dyed using resists and mordants, a method closely linked to kalamkari. Originally printed textiles depicted tales from Hindu mythology, but as a result of the Persian conquest in the 1600s, elaborate textiles with flowers and birds began to appear.

The Hindi word "Cheent," which means "spotted" or "speckled," is where the print's name originates. A staggering variety of hand painting and printing, a multi-stage technique on cotton textiles, were necessary for the production of chintz. It was said that after every wash, the colors on the fabric become progressively bright. When Europeans arrived in India, they were drawn to the elaborate floral patterns and fabric.

In the 1700s, these printed textiles were carried to Europe, where they were referred to as Chintz, an anglicized form of the Hindi term "Cheent." There, it gained a lot of popularity and conversation. People were seen wearing the cloth and even decorating their homes with it. However, these printed textiles were later prohibited.

What caused the ban? (Twice!)

The French Ban (1686) was so rigorous that it was forbidden to wear, sell, or manufacture chintz in France for a while. Only until the French producers managed to reverse engineer the dyeing process was the prohibition lifted. The English Ban, also known as the Calico Acts, caused domestic European textile makers (particularly those of wool and silk) to become concerned which resulted in the prohibition of imported Indian Chintz.

These restrictions demonstrate how fiercely competitive Indian textiles were, as they were perceived as a huge economic threat. The demand for the fabric was strong even after the import was prohibited. This prompted British manufacturers to frantically try to reproduce the Indian approach with their machinery, but unfortunately, the original craft disappeared.

Cultural Appropriation by the West

Indian artisans used an age-old secret technique to make cotton colors so bright and persistent (colorfast). This special dyeing knowledge was documented by Europeans, primarily through colonial means. They then replicated the Chintz across Europe using their technical expertise. They began producing inexpensive, machine-printed cotton replicas in large quantities after the ban was repealed.

While these reproductions featured floral motifs, they often utilized low-quality dyes and printing. This alteration caused the print to lose its relationship with value, and true meaning. Eventually, the word "chintz" itself lost its connotation of elegance and became a generic term for any inexpensive, excessively flowered cotton; it even gave rise to the term "chintzy," which means tacky or cheap.

The path of Indian Chintz demonstrates the severe cost of cultural appropriation. The West's great market strength, backed by economic sanctions and colonial appropriation of craft skills, successfully industrialized a sophisticated art form. It eliminated the authority and prestige of the original artisans in the process.

Chintz serves as a striking reminder of how fashion's worldwide reach cruelly eroded the source of its origin. It's true significance was a tribute to exquisite, colorfast Indian creativeness that became completely lost.