Red Border Fabric from Banaras with Large Woven Flowers
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. 26 Inches Wide
Behind this piece
The Kasim family has worked the looms of Banaras for generations, carrying forward a tradition that flourished under Mughal patronage and never truly left. This fabric belongs to that lineage: pure silk brocade woven on a pit loom, where supplementary weft threads are lifted by hand to build each oversized flower into the weave itself. The red border is not printed or embroidered; it is structural, born in the loom. Banaras brocade of this scale and intention has historically dressed royalty, adorned temples, and graced the most considered wardrobes on the subcontinent.
How to style
Cut this fabric into a voluminous lehenga skirt and pair it with a plain ivory or deep burgundy blouse; let the woven flowers speak without competition. For a more restrained occasion, consider an unstitched drape worn as a Banarasi saree with a contrast silk blouse in forest green. Complete either look with polki or uncut-diamond jewellery and broad-heeled mojris in cognac leather. This fabric suits a festive wedding function, a formal puja gathering, or a curated arts evening where the textile itself becomes the conversation.
Fabric & care
Pure silk brocade rewards patience. Dry-clean only; water and agitation loosen the supplementary weft threads that form the flowers. If spot-cleaning is necessary, use a barely damp cotton cloth pressed gently, never rubbed. After wearing, hang briefly to release body heat, then fold along existing creases with a layer of unbleached muslin between folds. Store flat in a cool, dry drawer away from direct light and moisture. Cedar blocks deter insects without the chemical residue of mothballs. Treated with this care, Banarasi silk strengthens and develops lustre over decades.
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