Toile Indienne

In 1664 the French East India Company brought the first of the colourfully printed cotton cloths known as indiennes, from India into France. These printed cotton fabrics were so popular that the word indiennes entered the French language, referring not only to the cloth but to garments made from it. Molière in his book Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme describes Monsieur Jourdain as being dressed in the latest fashion with “.une écharpe de toile peinte à l’indienne,” a printed cotton scarf from India, forerunners of Hermès scarves albeit in cotton. The popularity of these printed cotton fabrics from India would lead the writer Daniel Defoe to bitterly complain that toile indiennes have “crept into our houses, our closets and bed chambers, curtains, cushions, chairs and at last beds.” Indian fabrics were sold in Europe, traded for spices in South- East Asia, powered the Industrial Revolution, became the symbol of India’s struggle for Independence and the economic basis of an interwoven modern world. Toile Indienne joins this yarn of human history. We welcome you to join us on our voyage.