Muhayo Aliyeva | Bibi Hanum

Coats Of Many Colors

Muhayo Aliyeva and her sisters founded Bibi Hanum with the goal of reviving and renewing interest in the craft of making traditional Uzbek clothing. The main mission of their workshop is to support women and preserve their cultural heritage. Bibi Hanum creates robes, caftans, contemporary clothes, and home accessories using handmade traditional silk and cotton ikat from the Eastern region of Uzbekistan, famous for its skilled textile weavers. Ikat is a traditional method of using tie-dyed, loom-woven wraps that goes back many centuries. During the 20th century, because of Soviet policies, it was in danger of being forgotten in Uzbekistan. Since the country’s independence in the early 90s, ikat has been revived in a very important way as a positive symbol of cultural identity.