l

lungi

lungi (South Asia)

Rectangular, sarong-like garment worn primarily by men in South Asia and other regions. Made of lightweight cotton or sometimes silk, lungi is ideal for regions where extreme heat and humidity make wearing trousers uncomfortable. The lungi is a great example of functional versatility and economical use of fabric. In 1996, we started purchasing them off the shelf to make clothing, and have since embarked on our own lungi production. See also khadi

lac

lac

Deep scarlet colorant extracted from scale insects, most commonly Kerria lacca. Lac has been used as a dye and pigment since ancient times, employed in India for skin cosmetics and dyeing wool and silk, and in China for leather. The dyestuff is extracted from the insect’s resinous cocoon known as sticklac, which, upon further processing and refinement, produces shellac. Lac’s deep red dye color may range from violet to brown when modified with a mordant. We use lac in our dye production in India, where the insect lives in abundance.