Paisley (design)

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 Iranian/Persian 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. 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. The pattern is still commonly seen in Britain, the United States, and other English-speaking countries on neckties, waistcoats, skirts, blouses and scarves, and remains popular in other items of clothing and textiles in Iran and South and Central Asian countries.