India, Toy & Joy Singh, Block Printing

Hand block printing of exceptionally quality has long been associated with the city of Jaipur in Rajasthan, a city whose Mughal and Rajput heritage has made it home to many intricate crafts that once catered to the new tastes of the Kings and Queens. 

The skill of hand block printing experienced a decline in this century as the demand for mass production and screen printing has taken precedence over quality. The highest standards of craftsmanship can now be found in only a few enterprises that focus on quality more than quantity , and Toy & Joy Singh aspires to be such an enterprise. 

Toy & Joy Singh is a family owned business starting with only one printing table in the Singh family home about 26 years ago. They deliberately keep growth to a level that allows personal supervision at every stage of the process and, unusually for the trade, allows for the employment of a stable and skilled staff on the basis of quality rather than quantity.

As a result of their experimentation with dyes, designs, and techniques,  Toy & Joy Singh have been able to give a new dynamism and a more international attitude to the traditional craft of fabric printing. Their designs take the traditional art beyond its Indian boundaries. They have a fresh approach to colours and shapes and often look towards the European garden for inspiration. All  Toy & Joy Singh products are made using 100% cotton that is sourced locally within India. 

Toy & Joy Singh have also been featured in Selvedge Magazine Issue 24, Indian Summer. 

To follow the story of Toy & Joy Singh, find them on social media here.