Silk Ikat Shroud

This silk ikat shroud was made in Laos in the 19th century. Weft ikat was usually done on silk in south Asia, though occasionally on cotton as well. Today, mercerized cotton is more popular than silk.

Silk weaving has been practiced in Laos since the 14th century. Laos is home to number of different ethnic groups, each of which had their own distinct weaving traditions. Those traditions were suppressed when The Lao People’s Revolutionary Party came to power in 1975, but have started to grow again starting in the 1990s. There is less regional distinction now, however, because more weavers are operating out of city centers like Vientiane, and so a new Laos style is emerging from these textile centers.