Creative Design: Graduate

Arkhalig Reimagined: A Contemporary Zero-Waste Dress Using Traditional Iranian Block-Printed Textile

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Abstract

The modern fashion industry faces significant sustainability challenges stemming from overproduction, waste, and the loss of craft-based traditions. In response, this project aims to integrate zero-waste design strategies with traditional cultural knowledge to create a garment that embodies sustainability in both environmental and cultural contexts. The design is inspired by the conventional Arkhalig, a long-fitted jacket historically worn by men and women in Iran and the Caucasus region. The piece is an asymmetrical dress crafted from a heritage textile, an Iranian block-printed cotton fabric known as Qalamkar, dyed with natural substances such as pomegranate peel and alum, and printed with wooden blocks in various colors. This garment successfully synthesizes a historical silhouette, sustainable construction, and cultural textiles into a coherent, wearable artifact. It introduces Safavid-era Iranian block-printed textiles, a rarely explored textile tradition, into the context of zero-waste design, challenging Western-dominated narratives around sustainability.

Keywords: Cultural continuity, Zero-waste design, Iranian tradition, Block printing, Arkhalig

How to Cite:

Nikookar, M., (2025) “Arkhalig Reimagined: A Contemporary Zero-Waste Dress Using Traditional Iranian Block-Printed Textile”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 82(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.22027