In this richly illustrated book, stylist and designer Catherine Legrand explores her enduring fascination with ikat, a distinctive type of fabric woven from resist-dyed thread. Rooted in centuries-old tradition, it remains strikingly contemporary in its visual power.
From rare antique French flammé textiles to the regions where ikat is still practiced today—including Indonesia, India, Japan, Thailand, Turkey, Nigeria, Chile, Mexico, and Scandinavia—the book traces the places, processes, and people that sustain this demanding technique. It highlights not only the cloth itself but also the expertise behind it: the weavers, dyers, and collaborative networks of makers whose knowledge, patience, and precision make each piece possible.
Informed by the latest textile scholarship and guided by the author’s own encounters and eye, this book is both homage and investigation—a celebration of ikat and the skills that keep its thread unbroken.
Contributors
Catherine Legrand
Author
Catherine Legrand is a cofounder of the Théatre du Soleil, where she continues to work as a graphic designer. A fashion designer and cocreator of the French brand “À la Bonne Renommée,” she is also the author of Patchwork: A World Tour and Indigo: The Color that Changed the World.
