Leheriya is one of those fabrics people recognise instantly but cannot name. The diagonal stripes running across a bright saree, worn everywhere in Rajasthan during the monsoon - that is leheriya.

Where the name comes from

Leheriya comes from leher, the Hindi word for wave. The stripes are meant to look like waves of water, which is why the fabric is associated with the monsoon.

How it is made

The fabric is rolled diagonally into a long rope, from one corner to the opposite corner. It is then tied tightly with thread at intervals along that rope, and dipped in dye. The tied sections resist the dye and stay light.

When the fabric is untied and opened out, the tied lines appear as diagonal stripes running across the whole length. For multiple colours, the process is repeated - retied in different places, dyed again.

This is why the stripes on real leheriya are never perfectly parallel and never exactly the same width. The rolling and tying is done by hand every time.

Why it is worn in the monsoon

Two reasons, one practical and one cultural.

Practically, leheriya is traditionally done on light fabrics - chiffon, georgette, thin cotton - because they roll and dye easily. Those are exactly the fabrics you want in humid weather.

Culturally, leheriya is tied to Teej, the monsoon festival celebrated across Rajasthan and much of north India. Wearing leheriya at Teej is as established as wearing yellow at haldi.

The traditional colours and what they meant

Certain leheriya colour combinations carry meaning in Rajasthan:

• Yellow and green - the classic Teej combination, associated with the monsoon and new growth
• Red and yellow - worn by married women at festivals
• Panchranga - five colours in one saree, considered auspicious and traditionally worn at weddings
• Satranga - seven colours, the most elaborate and the hardest to produce

Most leheriya sold today is two-tone, which is what makes the five and seven colour pieces special.

Leheriya, bandhani and mothra

These three are related but distinct:

• Bandhani - small dots, made by tying tiny pinches of fabric
• Leheriya - diagonal stripes, made by rolling and tying the fabric lengthwise
• Mothra - a checked pattern, made by doing the leheriya process twice in opposite directions

Mothra is the rarest of the three because it requires the whole rolling and tying process to be done from scratch a second time.

When to wear it

Leheriya works beyond Teej. It is bright without being heavy, which makes it a good choice for daytime functions, mehendi, festive gatherings and even office celebrations. The diagonal stripe is flattering on most body types because it draws the eye along a diagonal rather than across.

Our leheriya collection is chiffon with hand-applied gota patti, in the traditional dual-tone shades. We ship across India from Subash Bazar, Agra.