Know your
Indian handloom.
Wear it well.

The empress of Indian handloom weaves. Mughal-era brocades with intricate gold and silver zari woven on silk pit-looms in Varanasi. One six-yard handloom saree can take 15 days to two months on the loom.

Temple silks of South India. Body and border are woven separately on three shuttles, then interlocked at the seam — a technique called korvai that no powerloom can replicate. One of the most enduring Indian handloom weaves in existence.

The most labour-intensive Indian handloom weave in the world. Motifs are added by hand, thread by thread, on the loom itself — never embroidered. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Double-ikat means both warp AND weft are tie-dyed before weaving — so the pattern emerges only as the loom marries them. Made by three Salvi families in Patan. One of the rarest Indian handloom weaves on earth. One saree takes 6 months.

Crisp pit-loom cotton with a clean zari border (the Nizam border) and no pallu motifs. The weekday Indian handloom saree of South Indian women — quiet, sharp, dignified, and one of the most affordable true handlooms available.

A sheer, lightweight Indian handloom weave blending silk warp and cotton weft (or pure silk in modern variants). Glossy without being heavy. Royal patronage from the Scindia dynasty for centuries.

Not a weave — an embroidery tradition. Layers of old saris are quilted together with running stitches, the needlework itself making the pattern. The original slow-fashion, and one of Bengal’s most beloved Indian handloom traditions.

Not a weave — a 16-step natural-dye block-printing process using indigo, madder, and pomegranate. Each colour is a separate printing pass. Dr Ismail Khatri’s family in Bhuj are the keepers of this Indian handloom printing tradition.

Tie-dye elevated to art. Tens of thousands of tiny knots are tied by hand before dyeing — the undisturbed dots forming the pattern. Khatri community women do the tying. A deeply auspicious Indian handloom tradition for weddings and festivals.

“Leher” means wave. The fabric is rolled diagonally and tied at intervals, then dyed — producing diagonal stripes after unrolling. A festive Indian handloom tradition traditionally worn during Teej and monsoon festivals.

Two distinct Indian handloom art schools: Srikalahasti uses a “kalam” (pen) for hand-painted mythological narratives; Machilipatnam uses wooden blocks with vegetable dyes. Both are 23-step processes using only natural dyes.

Hand-blocked using fermented mud-paste resists, then dyed with indigo, madder, and turmeric. The mud is what creates the soft, slightly faded look — chemical prints can’t replicate it. One of Rajasthan’s most honest Indian handloom printing traditions.