Inca-Gold Fabric from Banaras with Hand-woven Flowers and Zari Weave by Hand
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
Complete your look
Hand-picked pieces that sing gently with this one.
Behind this piece
Banaras has been weaving gold into silk for over five centuries, and this fabric carries that long memory in every thread. Woven by the Kasim family, whose looms have stood in the narrow lanes of Varanasi through generations, the brocade technique here is known as "tanchoi" in spirit but achieves something older: zari flowers raised against the silk ground, each motif thrown by hand on a fly-shuttle loom. The Inca-gold tone is not a dye accident; it is chosen to mirror the warmth of the zari itself, so cloth and metal read as one unbroken field of light.
How to style
Cut this fabric into a structured, full-sleeved blouse and pair it with a deep burgundy or forest-green Kanjeevaram saree for a wedding reception where restraint carries more weight than noise. Alternatively, have a tailor construct a straight-cut kurta in this brocade, worn over ivory churidar and finished with carved jadau earrings in uncut gold. For a festive evening occasion, a half-and-half lehenga, using this fabric for the yoke and dupatta, grounds the ensemble. Wear mojris in cognac leather to echo the gold without competing with it.
Fabric & care
Pure silk brocade does not forgive carelessness, but it rewards patience. Dry-clean this fabric for the first wash, particularly because the zari threads are woven in, not embroidered, and mechanical agitation can distort the weave structure. If hand-washing at home, use cold water and a silk-specific, pH-neutral cleanser; never wring or twist the cloth. Dry flat in shade, away from direct sun, which yellows both the silk and the zari over time. Store folded in a cotton muslin cover, not polythene, with a neem leaf or cedar block to discourage insects. Refold along different lines each season to prevent permanent crease lines.
Reviews
No reviews yet — be the first to share your thoughts.
From the Journal
Stories about the craft, the loom, and the wearing of a piece like this one.
