Eighty-two years
at the loom

Every pure silk saree
we sell carries the Silk Mark

You should not have to take a shopkeeper’s word for what a fabric is. The Silk Mark is a hologram label issued by the Silk Mark Organisation of India, set up under the Central Silk Board, and it certifies one thing plainly: the cloth is pure natural silk. Not a blend, not art silk, not polyester finished to feel like silk.

1. Look for the tagA small hologram label stitched to the saree, each with its own unique number. If a shop cannot show you one on a saree sold as pure silk, ask why.
2. It is tested, not self-declaredSarees are sampled and laboratory tested for silk content before the labels are issued. The mark is withdrawn from anyone found misusing it.
3. Our cottons do not carry it, and should notHandloom cotton is not silk. We label our cottons as cotton, at cotton prices, with no mark.

What makes a Mysore crepe silk
different from the rest

People often ask why one silk falls softly around the body while another stands away from it. The answer is in the yarn and the twist, long before anyone reaches the loom.

How to tell real zari
from the imitation

We would rather you knew this than trusted us blindly. Take these four tests into any silk shop in Bengaluru, including ours.

1. Look at the thread endReal zari is silk thread wrapped in silver, then gilded. Pull one loose strand at the edge and you should see a red or orange silk core inside the metal. Imitation zari is plastic film all the way through.
2. Feel the weightGenuine zari carries real metal, so a saree with a broad zari border has noticeable heft in the hand. Testers often weigh a bridal saree for exactly this reason.
3. Watch how it agesReal zari dulls and darkens slowly and can be cleaned back. Imitation zari flakes, and once the coating lifts, the black underneath will not come off.
4. Ask for the markReputable silk carries a Silk Mark label from the Silk Mark Organisation of India, a hologram tag certifying pure silk. Ask any shop for it — the answer tells you a great deal.

A silk saree outlives you
if you let it

Sarees in Indian families are handed down. These are the habits that decide whether yours reaches a granddaughter.

1. Change the folds every few monthsSilk weakens along a crease that never moves. Refolding along different lines is the single most useful thing you can do.
2. Wrap it in cotton, never plasticPlastic traps moisture and yellows the zari. An old cotton dhoti or a muslin bag is what our own mothers used, and it is still the best answer.
3. Air it, do not wash itTwo or three hours in shade twice a year keeps it fresh. Direct sun fades the dye. Dry clean sparingly — every clean takes a little life out of the silk.
4. Keep the perfume offSpray before you drape, not after. Deodorant and attar stain silk permanently, and no cleaner will lift it.