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Luxury handicrafts · 02

Banarasi, Kanjivaram
& Silk Brocade

The great Indian silk weaves — Banarasi brocade, Kanjivaram, Mysore and Bhagalpur. Bought by the metre or the piece, and judged on the zari as much as the silk.

Start a brief for this line The handicrafts wing
An elderly weaver working silk fabric on a traditional loom in a workshop in Varanasi, India
What we buy

What we buy in this line

  • Banarasi brocadeKadhwa, cutwork and jangla brocades in silk with zari patterning.
  • KanjivaramHeavy South Indian silk with contrast borders and korvai joined pallu.
  • Mysore silkFine crepe and charmeuse-weight silk, plain and printed.
  • Bhagalpur silkTussar and blended tussar, in fabric and made-up form.
  • Furnishing weightsBrocade and silk woven to upholstery and drapery specification.
  • Made-upsCushions, throws, runners and panels cut and finished from the same looms.
Acceptance criteria

What we fix before the loom is dressed

Hand-made goods are bought against an approved sample, not a drawing. That only works if what the sample is being judged on is written down before anyone starts.

Silk type and denierMulberry, tussar or blend, with denier and filament count.
ZariReal, tested or plastic zari named explicitly, with the metal content where it matters.
Weave and techniqueHandloom or powerloom, and the named technique — the price gap is large.
GSM and widthFabric weight and usable width after finishing.
Colour fastnessTo light, rubbing, perspiration and dry cleaning.
Repeat and registerPattern repeat length and permitted register drift across a piece.
FinishingDegumming, washing and pressing, and the hand that results.

Every criterion above appears in the inspection report as a pass or a fail, with the measurement beside it. Where a criterion is a judgement rather than a number, the judgement is recorded against a retained physical sample.

Risk & compliance

What we screen before a sample is quoted

Powerloom sold as handloom

The single most common misrepresentation in Indian silk. We identify the loom type on site rather than accepting the description on the invoice.

Zari substitution

Plastic and copper zari passed off as tested or real zari. Metal content is tested where the buyer is paying for it.

Silk purity

Blended and art-silk content declared as pure silk. Tested, not asserted, and labelled to US fibre-content rules.

Child labour in weaving sheds

The Varanasi silk cluster has a documented history here. Loom locations are mapped and disclosed as a condition of engagement.

Where this is made

Clusters we work for this line

VaranasiKanchipuramMysoreBhagalpurMurshidabad

Each weave belongs to one place and does not travel. A mill offering all four from one address is trading, not weaving — which may be fine, but you should know it.

Related lines

The other hand-made skills

Pashmina & Fine ShawlsHand-made Patola, Muga & HandloomHand-made Kalamkari & Hand-Printed TextilesHand-made Chikankari & ZardoziHand-made Bidriware & DhokraHand-made Temple Bronze & BrasswareHand-made Meenakari, Thewa & KundanHand-made Jaipur Blue PotteryHand-made Pichwai, Tanjore & MiniatureHand-made Papier-Mâché, Lacquer & WoodHand-made Kashmiri Carpets & RugsHand-made

Send us the sample. We will tell you honestly.

Whether we can source it well in India, what it should cost, and what could go wrong — before you commit to anything.

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