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Letter from Bengal
Will the real muslin please stand up? Ancient cloth from Bengal region makes comeback amid fakes
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Mr Peter Lee, a textile collector, has many 18th and 19th century muslin fabrics. Here, he holds a modern muslin sari he bought from Bangladesh’s revival project.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
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- Bengal muslin, a fine cotton fabric, prized for its sheerness and high thread count, faced near extinction due to historical exploitation.
- Efforts in Bangladesh and West Bengal are reviving muslin, focusing on cultivating original cotton and training artisans to recreate the historic craft.
- Despite the revival, challenges remain, including low wages for artisans, lack of awareness, and the threat of cheaper imitations undermining authenticity.
AI generated
The sari was gorgeous, sheer – and dubious. The advertisement said it was made of muslin, an elegant, luxuriously soft cotton fabric once favoured by Mughal and European queens.
Dr Pritha Dasmahapatra was intrigued: At 2,000 rupees (S$30), this would be a steal. But how was it possible?
