Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan is known for his simple and classic dressing, but this time at the New York premiere of his new film “The Odyssey”, a unique item of his attire caught everyone’s attention.
Nolan wore a special silk tie decorated with the historical Sindhi handicraft Ajrak along with a traditional suit, which garnered a lot of praise on social media and highlighted Sindhi culture globally.
This special tie was designed by Ahan Tandon, a student at Parsons School of Design. Interestingly, a few days ago, Christopher Nolan also went to India for the promotional campaign of his film, where the film’s lead actors Matt Damon and Tom Holland were also present with him. This was also the first official premiere of a Nolan film in India, but upon his return to New York, his Ajrak-decorated tie caught everyone’s attention.
Pakistani fashion writer Mahrukh also shared Nolan’s picture on Instagram and wrote in an interesting way, “Christopher Nolan brother, I had a lot of fun, is this an Ajrak tie?”
Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan is known for his simple and classic dressing, but this time at the New York premiere of his new film “The Odyssey”, a unique item of his attire caught everyone’s attention.
Nolan wore a special silk tie decorated with the historical Sindhi handicraft Ajrak along with a traditional suit, which garnered a lot of praise on social media and highlighted Sindhi culture globally. Textiles& Nonwovens
This special tie was designed by Ahan Tandon, a student at Parsons School of Design. Interestingly, a few days ago, Christopher Nolan also went to India for the promotional campaign of his film, where the film’s lead actors Matt Damon and Tom Holland were also present with him. This was also the first official premiere of a Nolan film in India, but upon his return to New York, his Ajrak-decorated tie caught everyone’s attention.
Pakistani fashion writer Mahrukh also shared Nolan’s picture on Instagram and wrote in an interesting way, “Christopher Nolan brother, I had a lot of fun, is this an Ajrak tie?”
After his post, a lively discussion started on social media not only about this tie but also about the history, cultural significance and global identity of Ajrak.
According to experts, Ajrak is not just a beautiful cloth but also a symbol of Sindh’s thousands of years old cultural identity. It is considered one of the oldest block printing traditions of the subcontinent, which has its roots in Sindh, while over time this art spread to Kutch in Gujarat and Barmer in Rajasthan. Even today, Hala, Bhit Shah, Khairpur and other areas of Sindh, as well as Ajrakpur in Kutch, are considered prominent centers of this art.
There are different opinions about the origin of the word Ajrak. Some researchers attribute it to the Arabic word “azraq”, which means blue, because the use of indigo is prominent in traditional ajrak. Some experts link it to the Sanskrit word “ajr”, which means something that will last forever, while a popular folk tradition says that the word comes from “aj rak”, because after each stage of ajrak preparation, one has to wait for the next day.
Ajrak preparation is done entirely by hand and is considered a very patient art. The fabric is washed repeatedly, prepared with natural ingredients, and then printed layer by layer using hand-carved wooden blocks. Each color is added in a separate stage, after which the fabric is washed and dried again. The preparation of traditional ajrak involves dozens of stages, while its prominent colors are also obtained from nature, including indigo, majith, iron, jaggery and other natural ingredients. For this reason, even minor irregularities in the original ajrak are considered a sign of its beauty and craftsmanship. Textiles& Nonwovens
Fashion experts say that in recent years, the trend of ‘quiet luxury’ has become increasingly popular around the world, where quality craftsmanship, tradition and sophistication are given importance instead of big brand logos. Nolan’s Ajrak tie also seemed to reflect this thinking, which proved that traditional cultural heritage can also become a part of modern global fashion.
On the other hand, Nolan’s new film “The Odyssey” is based on the famous epic story of the ancient Greek poet Homer. Matt Damon plays the role of the Greek hero Odysseus in the film, while Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron and other well-known actors are also part of the cast.
Interestingly, while Christopher Nolan is bringing one of the world’s oldest stories to the big screen through his new film, he has also brought global attention to his attire by incorporating the centuries-old cultural tradition of Sindh, Ajrak, which social media users have described as a welcome moment for Sindhi culture.