Fabric Maps Highlight the Regional Embroidery Styles of South Asia

Fashion in South Asia is known for its brightly-colored fabrics woven with beads and elaborate stitches. Vibrant, handcrafted garments are a common theme throughout Pakistan and India, but if you examine the areas closely you’ll find distinct patterns and styles that are unique to each region. One way to illustrate these nations’ regional textiles is by quilting them into maps.

These maps, spotted by My Modern Met, represent different regions using swaths of the materials that are native to them. In the below map of Pakistan, which comes from the Pakistani fashion company Generation, you can see examples of detailed embroidery techniques from 15 parts of the country.

The second map was published by the Indian clothing retailer Craftsvilla, and it highlights different woven and stitched patterns as well as many of the silks the country is famous for.

South Asia has been influencing global fashion trends for centuries. Paisley, for example, first appeared in India 2000 years ago before spreading to Europe in the 1700s. To learn more about India’s iconic textiles, read Craftsvilla’s breakdown of each style on their blog.

[h/t My Modern Met]