Ajrakh is a resist-print, not a print. The pattern is what remains after the fabric is dyed and washed — meaning every colour has to be planned in reverse. The block-printer paints mud-resist first, then indigo, then a second wash, then madder, then a third wash. Sixteen washes in total, alternating between two rivers of the Kutch region.
The rushed version, the mechanised version, the printed-look version — they all skip the washes. The colour looks similar for a season and then it fades. Real Ajrakh grows softer with every wash and holds its indigo for decades.
This is why our Ajrakh takes eight to eleven weeks to reach the studio. Not because the block-printer is slow. Because the river decides.