The "Indian cucumber" or paisley pattern is gaining popularity again. In past fashion seasons, many brands have launched clothes using this traditional motif.
Instructions
Step 1
Paisley or buta is a very ancient pattern. Most likely, it appeared about two and a half thousand years ago in the Sassanid empire, which was located on the territory of modern Iran and Iraq. Thanks to trade caravans, paisley-patterned fabrics spread throughout Asia, even to Africa and India.
Step 2
In Europe, "Indian cucumbers", as you might guess from the name, came from India in the middle of the seventeenth century, thanks to British colonization. The demand for the stunning, vibrant Indian fabric was very high, so Europeans began to weave the material with this pattern on their own. Thus, the small town of Paisley directed all its efforts towards the production of fabrics in the Indian style, thus giving the modern European name to the traditional pattern.
Step 3
There is no consensus on what the image of "Indian cucumber" is. Some researchers believe that this is a silhouette of a cypress (the Zoroastrian symbol of life), combined with floral motifs. Other experts think that the pattern is, in fact, highly stylized flames, which also symbolized life in Zoroastrianism. Maybe the image of "Indian cucumbers" is based on the appearance of cashew nuts. In India itself, it is believed that the pattern depicts mango seeds. Some modern researchers believe that a picture of a sperm can be seen in paisley. In any case, this pattern is associated with life and fertility.
Step 4
At the end of the eighteenth century, cashmere paisley shawls from the famous Indian region of Kashmir were very popular in Europe. These shawls were very expensive, so only the richest aristocrats could afford them. Already at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Scots learned to produce fabrics with "cucumbers" on jacquard looms, which made shawls with this pattern much more affordable. True, these were no longer such full-color shawls, and they were woven of silk or wool, significantly inferior in beauty to the Indian original.
Step 5
In the middle of the nineteenth century, paisley began to be applied to cotton fabrics, so that this pattern finally ceases to be a luxury, and fabrics with it become something familiar and commonplace. This situation persisted for a hundred years, until paisley became an attribute of the hippie movement, thanks to the Indian journey of the cult band The Beatles. In the late sixties of the twentieth century, paisley could be seen everywhere - on cars, shirts, furniture, baby carriages …
Step 6
Quite a few years have passed since the psychedelic revolution, but paisley is still associated with it. Bandanas with this pattern have become traditional and are used by various street gangs. In English, paisley even began to be called bandana print.
Step 7
Modern fashion houses regularly refer to this pattern, returning its popularity every few years. It is used in clothing of different styles - from boho to sportswear.
