Tibetan-Rhubarb Handloom Floral Brocade Fabric from the House of Kasim
Dry clean only. Store folded in a soft muslin pouch away from direct sunlight to keep the sheen alive.
Description
There are colours that do not shout; they simply hold the light and ask you to lean closer. This pure silk brocade emerges from the looms of the House of Kasim, a name long associated with the refined weaving traditions of Varanasi, where the art of kinkhab and meenakari brocade has been passed down through generations of skilled karigar families. The ground is dyed in Tibetan rhubarb, a natural dye that yields its characteristic warm, earthy gold with a depth that synthetic pigments rarely approach. Across this luminous field, floral motifs are woven in with supplementary silk wefts, the patterns rising in gentle relief as brocade always does, half-texture and half-light. The hand is substantial yet fluid, exactly as one expects of silk that has been given proper time on the loom rather than hurried through production. Wear it fashioned into a formal blouse or a structured kurta for a ceremony where the occasion deserves something considered. The warmth of rhubarb gold pairs beautifully with ivory, saffron, or the deeper registers of forest green.
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Behind this piece
The House of Kasim works within a brocade tradition that draws from multiple confluences: Mughal floral grammar, Himalayan botanical influence, and the living vocabulary of Varanasi's silk loom. Tibetan rhubarb, used historically as both dye source and motif inspiration across trans-Himalayan trade routes, lends this fabric its distinctive floral character. The brocade is woven on a handloom where each supplementary weft thread is individually placed, a process demanding patience measurable in weeks rather than days. This is not reproduction fabric. It is a piece of continuous, living craft practice.
How to style
Cut this fabric into a structured anarkali with a fitted churidar and pair it with oxidised silver jhumkas for a festive evening that needs no further embellishment. Alternatively, commission a floor-length skirt and wear it with a plain georgette blouse at a winter wedding reception. For something unexpected, a tailored short jacket over wide-leg trousers in ivory tussar makes a considered contemporary statement. Kolhapuri heels in tan or block-heeled mojris in antique gold work beautifully across all three interpretations, keeping the fabric centred as the point of the whole composition.
Fabric & care
Pure silk of this weight and structure requires dry cleaning for any occasion you consider formal. For gentle home care between wears, hand-wash in cold water using a mild, pH-neutral soap, never wringing or twisting the cloth. Lay flat on a clean cotton towel to remove excess water, then dry in full shade. Iron on the reverse side only, using a low-heat silk setting. Store folded in unbleached muslin, away from direct light and moisture. Avoid contact with perfume and deodorant directly on the fabric, as both accelerate fibre degradation over time.
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