Deep-Ultramarine Brocade Fabric from Banaras with Hand-woven Lotuses and Zari Weave
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 five centuries, and the Kasim family carries that lineage with quiet authority. This deep-ultramarine ground is threaded through with hand-woven lotuses, each bloom built pick by pick on a traditional pit loom. The zari, real metal-wrapped thread, catches light the way temple water catches a lamp. The lotus is not mere ornament here; it is a motif with theological weight, recurring across Mughal court textiles and temple offerings alike. In the Kasim family's hands, the ancient grammar of Banarasi brocade remains unbroken and entirely alive.
How to style
Cut this fabric into an unlined anarkali and let the ultramarine do the work at a festive mehendi or a winter wedding reception. Pair it with antique Kundan earrings in pale gold rather than anything too polished, and choose kolhapuri block-heeled sandals in tan to ground the richness. Alternatively, commission a structured blouse in ivory tissue and drape six metres as a Nivi-style saree for a formal cultural evening. For a contemporary edit, a cropped boxy kurta with wide-leg ivory palazzos brings the brocade into daywear without diminishing its ceremony.
Fabric & care
Pure silk brocade with zari should never meet a washing machine. Hand-wash is too vigorous for the metal threads; dry-cleaning alone is appropriate. Between wearings, fold the fabric with the right side inward along the weft, not the warp, to protect the raised lotus motifs. Place a length of unbleached muslin between folds to prevent zari tarnishing from contact with silk. Store in a cotton bag, never polythene, in a cool dry drawer. Cedar blocks discourage insects without the moisture that mothballs introduce. Handled with patience, this cloth will last several lifetimes.
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