Bathik

Batik is one of the few textile crafts Sri Lankans recognise on sight, and it remains a staple of both everyday and occasion dress here. This section covers our full batik range – Indian batik sarees and batik print lungi.

How batik is made

The maker draws a design in hot wax on plain cloth, then dyes the fabric. Wherever the wax sits, the dye cannot reach, so that area keeps the previous colour. To build up several colours the cloth is waxed and dyed again and again, lightest shade first. At the end the wax is boiled out and the full design appears.

How to tell genuine batik from a print

Check the reverse of the fabric. On genuine batik the dye has soaked through, so the design is nearly as strong on the back as the front. On a printed imitation the back is noticeably paler. Look also for fine crackle lines where the wax cracked during dyeing – a printed fabric will not have them, and on real batik they are a feature rather than a flaw.

Care

Cold water, mild detergent, wash separately at first, and always dry in shade. Sunlight is the main enemy of batik colour.