Paisley (design)

Shawl made in Paisley, Scotland, in imitation of Kashmir shawls, c. 1830

Paisley or paisley pattern is an ornamental textile design using the boteh (Persian: بته) or buta, a teardrop-shaped motif with a curved upper end. Of Indian origin, paisley designs became popular in the West in the 18th and 19th centuries, following imports of post-Mughal Empire versions of the design from India, especially in the form of Kashmir shawls, and were then replicated locally.[1][2][3]

The English name for the patterns comes from the town of Paisley, in the west of Scotland, a centre for textiles where paisley designs were reproduced using jacquard looms.[4][5]

Persian silk brocade with gold and silver thread (golabetoon), woven in 1963.

The pattern is still commonly seen in Britain and other English-speaking countries on men's ties, waistcoats, and scarfs, and remains popular in other items of clothing and textiles in Iran and South and Central Asian countries.

  1. ^ Dusenbury and Bier, 48–50
  2. ^ "Natural Diamonds".
  3. ^ "Kashmir Company".
  4. ^ "Paisley: The story of a classic bohemian print". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  5. ^ "A brief history of paisley". The Guardian. 26 September 2011. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 February 2024.