lampas

Lampas is a type of luxury fabric created on a draw loom with a background weft (a "ground weave") typically in taffeta with supplementary wefts (the "pattern wefts") laid on top and forming a design, sometimes also with a "brocading weft". Lampas is typically woven in silk, and often has gold and silver thread enrichment. The lampas technique could be used to create complex designs, including figural and floral motifs in a range of colors. The designs could at time reflect cultural significance depending on where and for what purpose it was created. The use of lampas was not limited to clothing; it was also employed for interior furnishings, including curtains and upholstery, as well as tapestry. Lampas can be seen in both modern weaving and throughout history, where it spread through trade routes and cultural exchanges.

==History== A Lampas weave is one of the five basic weaving techniques—the others being tabby, twill, Damask, and tapestry—of the early Middle Ages Byzantine and Middle Eastern weaving centers. Lampas-weave was often associated with the silk industry and luxury market, often incorporating gilt threads. This is not surprising, since such a complex fabric would commonly be woven in expensive materials such as silk and precious metal.