The word ‘Mashru’ comes from the Arabic word ‘shari a’ that means “permitted by Islamic law.” Mashru was developed around the sixteenth century to allow Muslim men to exercise some agency within a rigid sartorial system that prohibited luxury in their lifestyles; in this system, silk was equated with leisure and decadence. Not quite silk, and not quite not, Mashru was a brilliant, highly skilled invention that presented a blurring of binaries in being both silk and cotton. The warp faced satin weave allowed silk to be visible on the surface, giving the fabric its desired shine. Mashru broke a rule within a system, and emerged as a legally ‘permitted’ fabric for men to wear. Mashru came to India through the silk route. It was originally woven in three parts of India: Gujarat, The Deccan and Uttar Pradesh. The colour palettes used to weave Mashru were mostly bright, often striped, and the textile was commonly dotted with motifs. One type of Mashru even used ikat. Despite its versatility, Mashru showed its deep Ottoman and Mughal influences.
Photographed by : Prarthna Singh
MESTAN PAJAMA
JAHANZEB JACKET, MEHZUN PAJAMA
RUQAIYA OVERCOAT, DO KALI ABHA (L), MAHAM SKIRT (R)
REHMAT JACKET, MEHZUN PAJAMA
JAHANARA LEHENGA, NADIRA TOP, ERINA DUPATTA
CHE KALI OYA ABH, MEHZUN PAJAMA, LEYLA DUPATTA
JANA DRESS, MEHZUN PAJAMA
ZINAT ABHA, MESTAN PAJAMA (L), NERGIS PHIRAN, PADSHAH PAJAMA (R)
SAHIBA JACKET, OZAN DRESS, RANA PAJAMA
SULTANA ABHA, MALIKA PAJAMA
GULCHEHRA LEHENGA, MELIHA TOP, NADIDE ODHNI
NORIYE ABHA, MEHZUN PAJAMA, ERINA DUPATTA
NORIYE ABHA, MEHZUN PAJAMA, ERINA DUPATTA
SELMA KURTA, OYA PAJAMA, JAHANZEB DUPATTA
KHAN ZADA LEHENGA, ZAINA TOP, ERINA DUPATTA
BARKHA ABHA, MESTAN PAJAMA
SALIMA ABHA, QUSIA PAJAMA
SABIHA OVERCOAT, HAMIDA BANU SKIRT, ZINAT TOP
AAMIRA JACKET, ABIDA KURTA, MEHZUN PAJAMA
MUBARKA JACKET, HANA KURTA, ABIDA PAJAMA
BARKHA DUPATTA
HAFEEZA KURTA, GOYALI SKIRT
FAUZIA DRESS, JAHAN PAJAMA
JAHIDA, MEHZUN PAJAMA (L), SAMAH, INAYAH PAJAMA (R)
REYHANA LEHENGA, SABINA TOP, ERINA DUPATTA
DO KHALI FAHIMA ABHA, FADYAA PAJAMA, ERINA DUPATTA (L)
FARIA ABHA, GHAYDA PAJMA
SANA ABHA, MEHZUN PAJAMA, REHAM DUPATTA
SULTANAH SARI, GULBANU TOP
NASREEN SARI, IMANI TOP