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Machili (fish) Patnam (city), “Bandar” is the local name, is a 3rd Century port city, famous for its cultural crafts, fishing and food. Apart from the courses, you can enjoy sunrises on the local beaches, visit the local fishermen’s village, sample the fresh fish dishes or the local delicacy, “bandar laddu”, visit local temples or the region's fashion jewellery shops (the last one we would need to organise in advance, if you’re interested).

Depending on the number of people who wish to join us, the courses on offer are Kalamkari printing (both block and pen Kalamkari), Mangalagiri weaving, clothes making and natural vegetable dyeing textiles.

The products of the local artisans are based on the use of natural products, old style crafts being the means of production, “slow fashion” being the emphasis, all of which involves a sustainable process, unlike most production processes in the modern world of fashion.

Most of the processes used are also influenced by the local weather, meaning that there are only certain months of the year when these crafts can be carried out in the proper, traditional way. It is generally between October to February that the weather allows for the natural preparation, dyeing, drying and fixing processes to be used. 

For example, the Kalamkari print process consists of 23 steps. It involves the natural process of bleaching the fabric, softening it, drying it in the sun, preparing the natural dyes, block printing or hand painting the design, air drying and washing. Part of the process also involves the fabrics being treated with a mixture of cow dung and bleach, then immersing it in buffalo milk and Myrobalans, which avoids smudging of the dyes on the fabric when it is painted with natural dyes. At another stage the fabric is washed in running water to get rid of the odours of the buffalo milk and then washed up to 20 times and dried in the sun. Once the fabric is ready the designs can be sketched onto the fabric. 

A breakdown of this process to prepare the fabric would be as follows:

Cow dung bleach, washing, Myrabolum fruit treatment, Kalamkari Block printing or outline using black and colour using vegetable dyes, running water wash, colour development, boil in water with Alzarin and dye source, washing, colour fixation using Alum water, fabric drying.

With the challenging and tragic consequences of the Covid pandemic, many of the local crafts were hugely impacted, many not able to re-open. Even in good times, these crafts were not well paid, even though the skills required are immense and only learned over many years. If we can do our bit to help to maintain these crafts, help the artisans to earn a wage that enables them to remain within their craft and spread the word and knowledge of their skills and products, then it will be a small step in their survival. In a world where mechanisation and computers are taking over, a small piece of sustainable, artisanal, and creative skills needs to be retained. If not, those human skills will disappear. 

Fashion and fabrics don’t always have to be produced in high quantity and low costs, with a significant impact on the environment. “Slow fashion” and traditional techniques certainly aren’t the cheapest way to produce things, but they certainly are more sustainable, creative and fun to be part of. You will not come away after 5 days being an expert like the local artisans, but it will give you a taste of what they do, what you could do and what could be achieved together.