Parvai Kanchipuram Korvai Silk Sari : Shashikala

Every Parvai textile is rooted in real people, places and stories. We believe understanding how a garment is made deepens its meaning, and our promise is simple: to tell you everything we can about every product we create.

Originally designed by Parvai, this occasion-wear sari is handwoven in Kanchipuram using pure mulberry silk, a 2-ply warp, 4-ply weft, 3G zari and the traditional three-shuttle Korvai technique. Its pale powder blue is contrasted with majenta pink border, decorated with kamalam motifs in midnght blue.

The wide 14-inch border carries 870 individually woven kamalam motifs using the Adai technique, alongside a fine checked band and saw-tooth Korvai join. The 24-inch pallu features traditional seepu reku bands. The sari measures 5.5 metres in length and 1.27 metres in width, includes a 1-metre blouse piece and weighs approximately 780 grams. Pre-loom preparation takes around 15 days, followed by approximately 40 days of weaving on a dedicated Parvai floor loom. The sari was created by dyers Shohan Babu and team, six pre-loom artisans, Shanthi and Lakshmi for Petni work, Ane Thomas for design, Mariappan as Master Weaver, and Lakshmi and Shreekala at the loom. Approximately 40–45% of the website price supports weaving and artisan labour. 

Project Shashikala began with an early-1980s Kanchipuram sari belonging to a patron’s mother. Rather than reproducing it, Parvai studied and reinterpreted its design language, preserving its spirit while allowing a new generation of artisans to carry forward its technical and aesthetic legacy.