Happiness blossoms in many forms but it is the marigold that is our sacred pick this season. Bursting like little suns and just in time for India’s Diwali Festival and Australia’s summer, our Marigold block print is the golden child of our Home Away From Home collection.
Yellow is the colour of joy, positivity, passion and creativity. To most, a marigold is the pretty, little, gold one that opens up with the sun. But in India marigolds are auspicious and of the most cherished and celebrated flowers.
With everything good that happens in India comes a glorious celebration adorned with flowers. The act of gifting flowers has been a symbolic ritual for centuries. ‘Pooja’ is the Hindu word and practice of worship or prayer and translates to ‘flower act’. Traditionally, Hindu gods and goddesses are revered by floral offerings to bring good fortune and act as symbols of worship and surrender. ‘Mala’ is the Hindi word for garland, a handmade chain of fresh flowers threaded together on string that serve as an adoration charm, to honour the gods and also to connect one and other on special occasions, including courtship and marriage.
The marigold is also the favourite flower to Lord Ganesha, (the God of new beginnings). This month, millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains will celebrate Diwali, the annual Festival of Lights which coincides with the Hindu New Year to honour new beginnings. It is also a festival to celebrate the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. India will be aglow in extravagant light and saturated in saffron-gold colours of marigold.
This Marigold print is a wonderful example of slow made using a woodblock printing technique traditional to our artisan family of Rajasthan. The fabric design is by Dui. Five wooden blocks have been hand-carved to create this celebratory impression as a five-colour combination. Each colour has been manually stamped by the steady hands of our artisans, one block print colour at a time. The result is unique and embodies the purity of surrender that marigolds are to India.
Our Sapphire print is also a woodblock print. It is less complex intentionally. Like a delicate sprinkle of rain to nourish the abundance of floral in our Home Away From Home collection.
Woodblock printing is an ancient tradition and cultural asset to the artisan communities of Rajasthan. The nature of printing by hand creates a unique finish that we love. We embrace their talents as much as they love to see their handmade prints come to life in our designs.
We could not imagine this collection without a beautiful burst of this auspicious flower to celebrate our golden connection with India. Mix and match between our handcrafted Marigold and Sapphire prints as a sunny reminder to embrace big love, big life. And in true Dui and Diwali fashion, rejoice and cherish all the good things in life.
