Paisley

How would you describe paisley? Perhaps a teardrop with a tail? A tadpole-like shape decorated with concentric rows of little flowers? The paisley, a design icon that we have come to think of as synonymous with Indian design is not originally from India at all. It is an import from Persia, where it began its life as the Islamic tree-of-life symbol. The tree-of-life was originally a long slender tree, much like a cypress, that resembles the end of a brush.

The Silk Road and the conquests of the Mogul Empire brought Islamic goods to India from the 12th through the late 18th century. The tree-of-life was a common decorative motif on Persian rugs. It was copied by Indian craftsmen who were not familiar with the religious iconography of the form. The design evolved just like the game of telephone, where information is passed from one to another, changing ever so slightly each time so that over a period of time the original has changed into something else entirely. And that is how the paisley came to be.

Today the paisley is enjoying a renaissance. In a time when all things Indian are trendy, the paisley is a salute to hip, hot India. This motif shares its cultural cool with Hollywood films and their spins-offs like The Guru and Bend It Like Beckham, as well as haute Indian cuisine, yoga and wearing bindis (forehead jewelry.) Here we have provided some paisley that you can download and use as you please. ENJOY!