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PROVENCE
BY MARGO LES TZ
“Les Indiennes”
How could a fabric that originated in India, was copied
by Armenians, and outlawed in France become a symbol
of Provence?
***
The kaleidoscope of cotton fabrics that punctuate the
Provençal markets today, just seem to shout, “southern
France.” They are decorated with cicadas, olives, and
flowers in colors that reflect the local landscape: sky
blue, sunflower yellow, lavender purple, olive green, and
reds reminiscent of the hills of Roussillon. What could
be more Provençal?… Or Indian?
These vibrantly-colored textiles are called les indiennes
(Indians). Their story begins in the mid-seventeenth
century, when Armenian merchants, living in Marseille
to take advantage of the port’s tax-free status, ordered
them from India.
The Armenians thought the French might take a fancy
to this colorful, lightweight, and easy to care for cotton
cloth, and they were right. It was an instant success
among the nobility, and in no time at all, it was the
fabric to be seen in at the couture-conscious court of
Louis XIV. continue...