Caviar-Black Handloom Brocade Fabric from Banaras with Woven Roses
Dry clean only. Store folded in a soft muslin pouch away from direct sunlight to keep the sheen alive.
Description
Pure Silk Handloom Brocade<br>Weaver Kasim Family of Banaras. Width - 23 inch / 58.4 cms
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Behind this piece
Banaras has been weaving silk brocade for over a thousand years, and the Kasim family carries that continuity in their hands. This fabric belongs to the Jamawar tradition of figured weaving, where the loom itself becomes a drawing instrument. The caviar-black ground is achieved through careful dyeing of pure silk yarns before weaving begins, and the roses are not printed, not embroidered, but structurally woven into the cloth. Each motif requires the weaver to manually shift supplementary weft threads, row by row. The result is a textile that holds light differently on each petal.
How to style
Cut this fabric into a fitted blouse to pair with a cream tissue silk saree; the contrast will let the roses read as jewellery in themselves. For a more contemporary approach, a structured, knee-length kurta in this fabric worn with wide-leg ivory palazzos suits a Diwali gathering or an intimate wedding lunch. Finish either look with uncut polki earrings or oxidised silver if you lean minimal. A pair of champagne-toned mojris will ground the formality without competing. Avoid heavy embroidered dupattas; this cloth asks to be the single point of attention in any silhouette.
Fabric & care
Pure silk brocade is sensitive to both water and friction. Dry-clean this fabric for the first wash and for all subsequent cleaning. If you must hand-wash, use cold water with a very small amount of mild, pH-neutral soap, and never wring or twist the cloth. Lay it flat on a clean cotton towel to dry, away from direct sunlight, which dulls the silk's natural lustre over time. Store the fabric rolled in soft muslin, never folded sharply, as crease lines along woven motifs can weaken the supplementary weft threads permanently.
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