Every piece here is cut from handloomed Uzbek cotton and finished by weavers and tailors in Bukhara, Samarkand and the Fergana Valley. The ikat is dyed thread by thread before it ever reaches the loom, which is why no two panels come out alike.
Abr-bandi, or "cloud binding" — the resist-dyeing that gives ikat its feathered edge.
Uzbek cotton grows along the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, and it is prized for an unusually long fibre staple. Long fibres spin into smoother, stronger yarn, which is why a well-made Uzbek cotton garment softens with wear instead of thinning out.
Handloom weaving leaves more air in the cloth than a mill weave does. In practice that means full-length sleeves and hems you can wear through a Georgia August without feeling wrapped in a blanket.
Each piece passes through a weaver, a dyer, and a tailor. Seams are finished by hand, dye lots vary, and ikat panels are cut from whatever yardage that workshop produced that season.
