JUL / AUGUST 2025
THE GREYTON POST
17
Stitched with Story:The Art and Heritage of Kantha
I n a world driven by fast fashion and disposable trends, there’s something deeply moving about clothing that carries history, craftsmanship, and meaning. One such example is the Kantha jacket—a wearable piece of art that embodies centuries of tradition, creativity, and care. Kantha is an ancient embroidery technique from Bengal in India. Rooted in necessity and born from
stunning, textured patterns, full of depth and personal story.”
by millions of women across South Asia.
Kanthas are not just beautiful—they are sustainable by nature, created from reused materials in a time-honoured tradition. Their designs are shaped by what was available, and their meaning shaped by the women who made them. As Nicolette reflects, “Every kantha is a repository of memory—of its maker, of the cloth’s former life, of love and resilience stitched into every thread.”
The origins of kantha are humble: women in rural villages repurposed every scrap of cloth, layering and stitching them during quiet moments—between tending children, animals, and crops, or while sheltering from the monsoon rains. A single piece could take months or even years to complete. In many families, stitching was passed down
through generations, with grandmothers, mothers, and daughters all contributing to the same kantha. Each one became a tapestry of shared life and memory. Although kantha nearly faded into obscurity in the early 20th century, it was revived in the 1940s and again after the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. Today, it thrives once more as a celebrated form of textile art, practised
the resourcefulness of rural women, it involved stitching layers of old fabric— often worn-out saris—into quilts, shawls, and garments. The word kantha refers to both the simple running stitch used and the finished textile itself.
These garments can be admired as handcrafted heirlooms or worn as unique, expressive fashion statements. A small collection of Kantha jackets can be viewed at Mulberry, where their textures and patterns can be appreciated up close. In each jacket, there’s a story waiting to be told—an echo of the past, made present again by the art of the stitch.
As Nicolette Grey from Mulberry explains, “The stitch may be basic,
but its beauty lies in how it’s used. The arrangements of these tiny stitches create
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