the craft
The weaves
Every Suvirah piece is woven in a living handloom tradition. Here is what each one is, where it comes from, and how to tell it apart.
Sarees
Kanchipuram Silk
Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu
Woven in the temple town of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, from pure mulberry silk and real zari. Its hallmark is the korvai technique, where a contrast border and pallu are woven separately and interlocked to the body for lasting strength. Rich temple, check and floral motifs make it a treasured wedding heirloom.
62 pieces in stock
Thirubuvanam Silk
Thirubuvanam, Tamil Nadu
Woven in Thirubuvanam near Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, this pure mulberry silk is a close cousin of Kanchipuram, prized for its soft feel and vivid, lustrous colours. Fine zari borders and delicate buttas complete the look. A GI recognised weave loved for weddings, festivals and family celebrations.
11 pieces in stock
Gadwal Silk
Gadwal, Telangana
From Gadwal in Telangana, celebrated for pairing a lightweight body with a pure silk pallu and zari border joined by the interlocked kuppadam technique. So fine it was once said to fold into a matchbox, its rich contrast borders and temple motifs make it a festive and bridal favourite.
10 pieces in stock
Raw Silk
India
Raw silk keeps the natural texture and gentle slub of the silk fibre for a matte, earthy finish. Sturdy and understated, it holds deep colours beautifully and pairs wonderfully with antique zari for a vintage richness. A versatile, elegant choice for receptions and celebrations.
9 pieces in stock
Kora Organza
Varanasi, India
Kora organza is a sheer, crisp silk with an airy, weightless fall. Woven in the kadhwa way, each motif is created by hand within the fabric rather than printed, so the design sits clean with no threads floating behind. Delicate and modern, it lends a graceful shimmer to festive dressing.
8 pieces in stock
Kalamkari Kanchipuram
Srikalahasti, Andhra Pradesh
Kalamkari is a centuries old hand painting art from Andhra Pradesh, most famously from Srikalahasti, where every motif is drawn freehand with a bamboo pen called a kalam and set with natural dyes. Scenes from mythology, temples, peacocks and lotuses are painted onto silk over many patient days. A wearable work of art, treasured for festivals, weddings and special occasions.
5 pieces in stock
Lehengas
Kanchipuram Silk Cotton
Tamil Nadu
A lighter take on the Kanchipuram tradition, blending silk with cotton for an easy, breathable drape while keeping the signature zari borders. The kuppadam join locks a bold contrast border and pallu to the body. Comfortable yet regal, it is made for daytime weddings, festivals and temple visits.
4 pieces in stock
Mangalagiri Silk Cotton
Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh
Handwoven in Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, from a fine silk cotton blend. It is known for a clean, unembellished body framed by a crisp zari border, letting the colour and weave speak for themselves. Light, breathable and quietly elegant, it moves effortlessly from everyday wear to festive occasions.
2 pieces in stock
More from our library
Ajrakh Cotton
Ajrakhpur, Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat
Ajrakh is a resist printing tradition carried by the Khatri printers of Kutch, where a length of cloth passes through as many as sixteen stages of printing, washing and dyeing before it is finished. The pattern is laid on with hand carved teak blocks and a paste of lime and gum, then dyed in madder root, fermented indigo and iron black, and washed clean between every round, which is why the colours sit deep in the cloth rather than on top of it. Printed on fine cotton the result is cool and light for daily wear, and here the printed body is finished with a woven gold zari border in the South Indian manner, so one saree carries Kutch geometry alongside temple town gold.
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Ajrakh Dolla Silk
Ajrakhpur, Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat
Dolla silk is a smooth, lustrous silk favoured in Kutch for pieces that need more shine than modal can give. On it the Khatri printers of Ajrakhpur lay the same sixteen stage Ajrakh process they have practised for generations, resist printing with lime and gum and dyeing in madder root, fermented indigo and iron black, washing the cloth between every round. The printed body is then paired with a woven zari border and pallu, so the saree carries hand printed Ajrakh geometry alongside the glow of gold. It is the festive end of the Ajrakh tradition.
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Ajrakh Modal Silk
Ajrakhpur, Bhuj, Kutch, Gujarat
Ajrakh is one of the oldest surviving block printing traditions in the world, carried for generations by the Khatri printers of Kutch who worked in Dhamadka and rebuilt their village as Ajrakhpur after the 2001 earthquake. A single Ajrakh passes through sixteen or more stages of washing, resist printing with lime and gum, and dyeing in madder root for red and fermented indigo for blue, with black drawn from iron and jaggery. The cloth is printed on both faces so the pattern reads the same either way. On modal, a fibre spun from beech pulp, the natural dyes take deeply and the saree falls with a fluid softness and a quiet sheen.
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Banarasi
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Woven in Varanasi, one of India's oldest and most storied weaving traditions, with roots in the Mughal era. Banarasi brocade is defined by opulent gold and silver zari and intricate floral, jaal and butti motifs on a rich, luxurious drape. A timeless emblem of celebration, treasured for weddings and grand occasions.
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Chettinad Cotton
Karaikudi and the Chettinad region, Tamil Nadu
Chettinad cotton comes from the weaving villages around Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu, where the Chettiar merchant families kept looms busy for generations. The cloth is a thick, breathable handloom cotton, traditionally dyed in strong earth colours such as mustard, rust, maroon and black and then set against a contrasting border. That border is the signature: a wide band of gold zari filled with elephants, peacocks and the thoranam or temple triangle, motifs drawn straight from South Indian temple architecture. The checked and striped versions are worn every day, while a plain body with a heavy zari border is kept for festivals and weddings.
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Ikat
Pochampally (Telangana) and Odisha
Ikat is a resist dyeing craft where the yarns are tied and dyed to the design before a single thread is woven, so the pattern emerges on the loom with its signature soft, feathered edges. Woven notably in Pochampally in Telangana and in Odisha in the patola tradition, it carries diamonds, elephants and geometric motifs. A refined, artisanal silk loved for its depth of colour and celebratory charm.
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Tussar Modal
Bagru, Rajasthan
Bagru, a printing town near Jaipur, has been home to the Chhipa community of hand block printers for roughly three centuries. Its colours come from the earth: madder root for red, indigo leaf for blue, pomegranate rind and turmeric for yellow, and a fermented iron syahi for black, all fixed on cloth first treated with harda. Tussar modal gives that centuries old craft a fluid, softly slubbed cloth that carries the warmth of tussar silk with the easy drape of modal, so every block reads crisply while the saree moves lightly.
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Vanaspati Modal
Bagru, Rajasthan
Vanaspati takes its name from the word for plants, and it is Bagru's vegetable dye tradition: colour drawn from madder root, indigo leaf, pomegranate rind, turmeric and myrobalan rather than from chemicals. Each length is washed, treated with harda, stamped block by block and then dried in the Rajasthan sun, so no two pieces are ever quite alike and the shades deepen with age. On modal, a soft plant based fibre with a gentle sheen, these living colours settle deep and the saree drapes beautifully.
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