Farida Gupta is popular for her hand-block prints on cotton, silk and chanderi. Hand block printing is among the oldest forms of art in the country and involves the use of hand-carved wooden blocks which are dipped in colour and stamped onto silk or cotton fabrics by hand.

Here’s a video to see how it’s done.

Cotton and silk are two very popular choices of fabrics across India. People from different parts of the country enjoy wearing silhouettes made from cotton, especially during the hot summer months, when comfort is priority. On the other hand, silk is a fabric that has never gone out of style at formal Indian gatherings and can look stunning even after years of use because of it’s crisp look! 

Though both silk and cotton have a huge fan following, consumers often complain about some specific issues when dealing with these fabrics, especially in block-printed ethnic wear. These include:

1. Shrinkage 
2. Colour fading and bleeding
3. Fabric deterioration over a period of time

Let’s get some insight into how you can give your favourite Farida Gupta garments the best possible care so that they always stay in pristine condition. 

1. Hand-wash separately in cold water

Hand-wash with cold water is the best technique for cleaning cotton, chanderi and silk garments. We suggest doing different sets of laundry and avoiding mixinggarments while washing. Please note that it isn’t just new garments that could bleed colour; older garments are prone to bleeding too. Hence, irrespective of the garment age, always wash the garments separately in cold water. 

Why we recommend Hand-washing separately in cold water?

Hand-Blocked garments are bound to bleed because of the natural processes they go through. The main reason behind separate hand wash is to avoid colour overlapping on to other garments. Colour bleeding is the leaching out of dye from the fibres when the garment is wet. Your cotton garment could get damaged due to supernormal colour bleeding in a washing machine with warm water. Avoid rubbing your garment altogether. Colour is bound to bleed more with rubbing. 

A few other benefits of washing in cold water are: 

1. It helps in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that are usually released during laundry with warm water. Who doesn’t want to do their bit for the environment? ☺ 
2. It also keeps the electricity bills down because your geyser isn’t getting used. Isn’t that a plus? 

2. Do not soak your FG Garment. 

A common mistake made by customers when washing hand-block printed garments is that they may soak it in water before washing. This is completely inadvisable.  

Why do we advise against soaking?

Soaking before washing increases the chances of colour fading for your hand-blocked cotton and chanderi garments. Therefore, you should skip soaking altogether and use a suitable detergent to target any stain spots while washing. This will keep the garments looking new and beautiful for an extended period of time.

3. Dry in shade

High-heat drying is highly discouraged for all Farida Gupta cotton and silk garments. This means saying no to electric dryers and a big NO to drying under direct sunlight. We recommend drying all FG garments in shade in order to extend the life of the garment and prevent any damage. 

Why dry in shade when there's abundant sunlight? 

1. Colour Fading: Sunlight could lead to colour fading, especially for dark/bright/deep dyed garments. While turning the garment inside out and drying may be an option, it is best to avoid the sun altogether.

2. Shrinkage: While most of our garments are pre-shrunk, the natural cloth fibres tend to get compressed under the impact of excessive heat which ultimately leads to shrinkage. Cotton fabric is constructed with the application of a certain amount of tension to the yarn. The release of this tension in the washing machine due to the action of the washer and the dryer (and steamer) is what causes cotton fabric to shrink back to its original size. 

So, remember, it’s just 3 basic steps and you’re good to go: 

Hand Wash Separately in Cold Water 

Do Not Soak or Rub vigorously. 

Dry In Shade